Pieces
by quinnovative
Summary: Twenty test subjects, ten years, one girl who's left in the dust of corruption and experimentation at the hands of Hydra. Audrey and Coulson have a seven year old daughter he never knew about, now Audrey's dead after a suspicious car accident, and there's a small girl on the BUS who needs protection and a home. Oh, and Hydra's still after her.
1. Chapter 1

"Agent Gibbs," A figure barked, its frame looming over the shadowy room's second occupant. "Repeat the consequences we agreed upon for failing this mission."

To the untrained eye, the other man appeared un-phased, but his superior could see otherwise in the slight shake of the agent's left leg, the nearly silent quiver of dread in his voice. "Death," he answered finally.

"Good," the official stated coldly. "Not only did you fail miserably, but you threatened the secrecy of our project and alerted Shield with your idiocy and carelessness. Now, another one of our subjects is dead and the girl is missing. We're running out of subjects. Even someone with your lack of intelligence should know what comes next."

"Wait!" Agent Gibbs exclaimed, and the heavily armed man halted, exchanging an icy glare with him. "I have information."

"What?" the older man said dully.

"The girl… It worked, nearly took out the both of us. She has powers. She can kill."

Pleased with the outcome, the official narrowed his eyes and raised his gun, pointing it at Gibbs and pulling the trigger without another word. He'd received the information he needed, now their main focus was getting the girl back. The condemned agent's eyes lingered on the Hydra logo, absorbing the sight as his world went black.

0-0-0

"We're just receiving news of a fatal car crash," A host spoke on the television, but Skye's voice traveled across the room, clear and familiar as it overrode the newscaster, no one aware of the tidal wave of change they were about to experience. "FitzSimmons, I love you guys, but if you're putting on another documentary for movie night, you're never allowed to pick again." She grinned at the two scientists as she plopped onto the couch beside Ward, the team gathering for a movie night during their lull in missions.

Coulson couldn't stop staring at the TV.

"I'll have you know, Skye, last week's documentary was highly acclaimed by the scientific community. The genetic research was fascinating. It was a captivating film."

Ward raised his eyebrows at Jemma's statement. "I don't know if captivating is the right word for that one."

Suppressing a smile, Simmons huffed, but before she could defend her choice, Fitz joined in. "Don't worry, we have great taste in films. We have something awesome picked out…"

"Which is?" Skye asked.

"A surprise," Fitz shrugged before Simmons turned to him and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'we need a change of plans.' Skye burst out laughing, and soon Simmons joined in, even Ward wore an amused grin, followed by a semi reluctant Fitz.

The sounds grew hollow and distant. Coulson couldn't pull away, his muscles going tense, his gaze locked on the screen. "Wait," he said softly to Skye, as her finger hovered over the remote, about to set up for a movie.

"Why?" she asked curiously, but Coulson didn't answer. He was already too far gone.

"A suspicious car crash is making news today, the accident took place in Portland and involved a musician from the local symphony. We're waiting for verification of who that person was." The television penetrated their voices, FitzSimmons and Skye falling into background noise as the TV replayed in Coulson's mind. Waves of thought broke against the rock of his brain, assaulting him incessantly.

On a live feed, the screen morphed to reveal the crash scene: a vehicle pressed against a tree, flaming in a ditch, its metal frame mangled and twisted on the left side. Crushed in and distorted, it was unfathomable how a car could sustain such devastating damage. Emergency vehicles and first responders gathered on the road as orange flames licked at the atmosphere, smoke curling in dark, thick heaps, like the wiry claws of a monster.

The breaking news banner flashed across the screen, and again, those sickening, life changing, heart shattering words left the local reporter's lips.

"We've just received confirmation that the victim of the fatal car crash is local celebrity, Audrey Nathan, second chair cellist of the Portland Symphony."

The camera panned to an ambulance, where an ME zipped up a body bag.

His stomach twisted.

It's amazing how a few fluctuation of vocal chords could produce vibrations that changed your life. That in a single moment everything could change with just a few words. One name.

Standing there, as sirens wailed from the TV and words became background noise, a horrible sinking feeling tugged on his gut. This must have been how Audrey felt all those years ago, when she'd been told they he died. Frosty guilt chilled his bloodstream.

The change in his demeanor must have been obvious, or May might have heard the news too. He didn't really care. His mind circled in knots, stuck on the fact that this was never supposed to happen. He was always the one in danger, the one who'd died. Audrey was supposed to be safe. He was supposed to make sure of that.

He was falling deeper into the pit just as May's voice yanked him out.

"Coulson?"

He couldn't answer; couldn't get his lips to form words.

"Phil?" she tried. The use of his first name snapped him to reality, her tone indicating that she'd been calling his name repeatedly before he'd even looked up.

Forcing out the first word he could wrench from his brain, he spoke, "Yeah?" Suddenly becoming aware that FitzSimmons were no longer arguing over films, Skye and Ward weren't harassing the duo to hurry up. Instead, they were all looking at him, worry and confusion shining from their young gazes.

Coulson could hear May's soft breathing from her position just a foot in front of him, lips pressed together. Waiting, staring expectantly at him. She must've known. She always knew.

"It's her," he confirmed, the words a piercing dagger, each syllable twisting the ache in his heart, solidifying its place there. This was real.

 _There is no way this is real,_ his brain screamed.

But it was. It was. And before May could offer some words—or a comforting look or gesture, or _whatever_ she was planning on doing—the newscaster brought more information. "Nathan was a talented musician and single parent, we're just receiving word that her seven year old daughter was in the car but is currently missing."

Heavy and thick and stifling, it felt like the silence in the room could suffocate him. He was having a nightmare, he'd been knocked out, he was hallucinating, he was going absolutely mad, but this— _this_ could not be happening.

"Suspicions of foul play are rapidly arising, as police and multiple government agencies were called in when a black SUV ran Nathan's vehicle off the road and attempted to enter her car. After fire began consuming the vehicle, a nearby government rescue team pulled Nathan from the car and onto the street, where she died from injuries sustained during the crash. An investigation is presently underway. If you have any information the police urge you to call. For now, stay inside with doors locked and blinds closed."

Fragments moved and slid and clicked. A mask feigning calm fell into place. Coulson needed to take control. There was a kid involved and danger and he could not let things spiral out of control, no matter how much it felt like they were already too far gone.

With startling composure, he looked up at May, his tone giving away nothing as he applied all his effort to keeping it even. "We need to get there."

She nodded. Despite the tragedy that was arising, thick like smoke, Coulson felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for May. Before turning to the cockpit, she reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and brief nod, her version of a 'you'll be okay.' Then she was gone, turning out of the room and heading to redirect the plane for the hour long trip to Portland.

He'd have to call Fury and sort all this out. The thought drove him to wordlessly leave the room, fully intent on making it to his office without breaking down. As he passed through the doorway, Skye stood up to follow him, until Ward shook his head, urging her to sit back down. She settled back on the couch, her eyes seeking out anyone else's. "What just happened?"

A few mumbled responses all arrived at the same conclusion: they had no idea.

By the time Coulson reached his office, his hands were most definitely shaking. Conflicting emotions swirled inside him. Audrey had a daughter. A daughter without him, not that it was her fault. Audrey had a daughter. Audrey was dead. Audrey's daughter may not be.

Audrey had been a single parent, god, Coulson wanted to kill the idiot that left her, especially with a kid—but Coulson didn't really have much room to talk. Bitter remorse clenched his gut. With those memories, more regret simmered inside him, taunt and icy and overbearing. It sat deep in his chest, settled itself there while it stemmed outward, its painful grasps reaching down to his toes.

He collapsed into his chair, elbows propped against his desk as his head fell into his palms. The words _Audrey_ and _daughte_ r and _dead_ all circulating through his head in a horrible, tragic tempo of regret and pain. Growing louder and quicker with each passing moment. His own personal symphony of nightmare. He never should have left her. Never should have let her think he was dead, because the thought of her feeling anything like this made him sick. In spite of his attempts, he couldn't suppress the mounting sentiment that he could have prevented this. He had to make this up to her. He had to take care of her daughter. Years had passed since they'd been together, but he still felt every part of him longing to be with her.

Summoning a new round of self-control, he sat up and let out a long breath before contacting Fury. Their talk went over relatively well. Fury had informed him that Shield had been on scene when the accident occurred and was currently conducting their own investigation. Since they weren't presently working on a mission, Fury allowed Coulson and his team to visit the scene, so long as Coulson agreed not to get too involved. Fury still needed them to for whatever assignments might present themselves.

For the time being, that would have to be enough for Coulson. He'd get to Portland and assess the situation. Calculating circumstances, determining tactics and strategies came naturally to him. He was a leader. Amongst every crazy thing in the world, evaluation and organization made sense. So that's what he'd do. From there, he could figure out a plan. Almost a decade ago, he'd made the mistake of letting Audrey go, he wasn't going to do the same thing to her daughter.

A soft knock pulled Coulson from his thoughts. He lifted his head, the door already creaking open hesitantly before he could respond. Slipping through the crack and easing the door softly closed was Skye. She looked over at him, wearing a small, concerned smile. An uncharacteristic shyness and uncertainty dominated her demeanor.

"Hey, AC," she greeted, still lingering in front of the shut door.

"Hi, Skye." The sight of her brought a little bit of warmth into his heart.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she sat down in one of his chairs, taking his acknowledgement as a sign that it was acceptable to stay for a bit.

He nodded slowly. "I'll be fine."

"That's good," she said sincerely, awkwardly dropping her gaze, "so, um, what's going on? We're all pretty worried."

Coulson sighed, it was obvious where the conversation was going, but he still felt reluctant about it, especially when he'd barely pieced together exactly what was happening. "The person who died in the crash, Audrey, she um – we were close a few years ago."

"And?" Skye pressed, her curiosity controlling her mouth in a way it so often did.

"And then I died, literally, and she never really learned that I'm still alive."

"Were you guys, like, a 'thing'?"

Coulson raised his eyebrows.

Skye shuffled in her seat. "Ya know like, a _thing_? More than friends?"

Wearing a small, amused smile at her word choice and slight discomfort, Coulson answered, "You could say that, yeah. We were engaged," he answered, his voice carrying an underlying spirited tone that made Skye feel like her mission was double accomplished—she'd gotten some details on what was going on, and, most importantly, she'd managed to cheer Coulson up a bit, if only for a little while.

"I'm sorry about that," she said, candor aching in her voice as she reached over Coulson's desk and gave his hand a quick squeeze.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys liked the first chapter! There will be more to come, until then... I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I forgot to mention it in the first chapter, but this story is set around early season one. Also, thanks for the response on the first chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. :)

* * *

"Here it is," Coulson stated as May pulled over to the side of the road, their vehicle lost in a sea of emergency response teams and agencies. On the trip over, Fury had put them in contact with the Shield team on site. As soon as the group shuffled out of the van they were debriefed on the occurrence. The story remained identical to the one they'd heard on the news, with slight additions from Shield. A Shield team in the area had received abnormal wave lengths on their radar. As a precaution, the team had trailed the two cars in their helicopter. When the SUV slammed into Audrey's car, Shield began landing, but by the time they touched down, the other vehicle fled the scene and Audrey's car had begun disappearing into flame. So, rather than following the still unknown culprit, they'd rushed to the car and pulled Audrey out after removing a large branch that had punctured her skin. She'd died on the road, whether it was blood loss or blunt force trauma they weren't sure yet. Her daughter's name hung on her lips as she produced her last breath.

Throughout the conversation, Coulson listened attentively, but his eyes wandered, absorbing the horrific images: Her crippled car, smashed against a tree, branches pierced the windshield, its glass shattered and spread throughout the car. By the time they'd arrived, the fire had been extinguish, the charred vehicle skeleton in its place.

On multiple occasions, Coulson had to redirect his mind from the body bag in the ambulance and the broken car and blood. Bile rose in his throat as he wrestled with the thoughts in his head. He needed a distraction. He need to do _something._

"Where's her daughter?" he asked as soon as Agent Reid finished speaking.

"We don't know. After contacting the school we learned that she'd been picked up early and was in the car with her mom. But when we got to the vehicle, she was gone."

"We'll look for her, she couldn't have gotten too far. What's her name?"

The agent glanced down at his notes. "Kristen Nathan. She's seven. We think she ran from the car."

 _Kristen._ He ran the name through his mind, finding strength in having some answers. "All right, Kristen," he repeated, looking around at him team before glancing back at Agent Reid. "FitzSimmons, Ward, you guys stay here and help out with the investigation. May, Skye, you're with me. Let's go find her."

0-0-0

Kit had been sleeping in the back of the car when her mom's voice woke her, loud against the soft rain and thunder outside her window. As the little girl opened her eye, she straightened up, glancing blearily at Audrey.

"What's going on, Mommy?" she asked, sniffling slightly. Kit was tired. _Really_ tired. And a bit frustrated too. Kit liked school, and today they were going to do an awesome science experiment with plants, but Kit's body decided to get her all sick and her teacher had noticed, so now she was in the car with her Mom on their way home in the middle of the day.

"I need you to listen to me, Kit." There was something startling in the forced calm of her mom's voice. "The people in the car behind us might be bad people, and if something happens, as soon as the bad guys are distracted you need to run and hide until a police or Shield agent finds you, okay?"

Kit nodded, absorbing the words and storing them in her brain.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," Kit said, trying her best to stay awake, but the lull of the car pulled her back to sleep. Audrey had noticed the car trailing them a little while ago, she'd learned from Coulson that you could never be too cautious, and something about the car set her on edge. When one of the men turned around she could've sworn she'd seen a symbol that she hadn't seen in more than nine years. 'Hydra' Coulson had called it, his voice strained as he said it, before he whisked away the classified file with a grin and promised that Shield had it under control. That was what urged her to talk to Kit. She had a bad feeling about this.

Merely a few second later, Kit was startled awake again by a violent lurch as their car barreled forward. Her eyes shot open and she spun around seeking the source of the jolt. The SUV behind them had accelerated, slamming into Audrey's sedan and running them off the road. Metal shrieked, screeching in Kit's ears as the car rammed into a fallen down tree with a sickening creak. It happened before she could react. A branch from the tree shattered the windshield and pierced Audrey, breaking through her skin as blood oozed from the wound.

"Mom!" Kit screamed, scrambling to undo her seatbelt, adrenaline pulsing through her small body.

"You need to run and hide, Kristen. It's time to go. You're smart. You'll be okay," Audrey whispered painfully, squeezing her eyes as she tried to turn her head.

"No! No, I don't want to go. I'm not leaving you," Kit yelled, her words competing with the roar of a landing helicopter. Shield. Frantic tears pooled in Kit's eyes, spilling over and dripping from her chin. Finally winning the fight with her seatbelt, she flung herself forward and out of her booster seat, trying to wrap her arms around Audrey. "I'm not going. I'm never leaving you," she said stubbornly, repeating "No, no, no," as she gasped for breath between sobs, crying out over the steady patter of rain. How did this happen? How did any of this happen?

"You're so loved, Kit, you're never going to be alone. I'll always be with you in your heart." She paused for a moment, teeth clenched as she fumbled with her necklace, her wedding ring from her engagement with Coulson hanging from a silver chain. She never really got over him, over the life they could have had. Should have had. "Take my necklace, so we're always together," she said, urging Kit to undo the clasp. "You're going to be safe soon, okay? Be brave. I love you, Kitty. Don't ever forget that. They're coming," Audrey said as she looked out the window and saw the men moving toward the car, the Hydra logo present on their sleeves.

She shifted her gaze back to Kit, taking in the sight of her small daughter, teary eyed and sniffling. Innocence ripped away from her in the previous seconds. Audrey would never get to hug that little body again or brush her light brown hair or feel that teeny tiny heartbeat as Kit snuggled close, a small content smile gracing her lips as she slept. God, it was all going away. It was all ending here in a thunderstorm on the side of a sleepy road she'd driven on a hundred times before.

Audrey's breath was growing ragged and the shock was ebbing away to pain. For her, time was dwindling to a permanent halt. But her little girl, her baby, _her Kit_ still had a life. Kit needed to live. "Go," she pressed softly, "I love you."

Kit nodded tearfully as she clipped the necklace around her own neck. "I love you, Mommy. We're never apart too far, right?"

"That's right, baby" Audrey affirmed with a nod, chocking on tears as Kit squeezed her hand tightly. "Goodbye, Kit. I love you so much."

"Bye, Mommy. I love you," Kit said as she climbed out of the car, throwing on last glance at her mom. Audrey returned the most encouraging smile she could muster. Then Kit was gone, masked by the heavy rain as she tore through the forest seconds before the Hydra men reached the car.

She ran, feet slapping against mud until a protruding root sent her sprawling forward. Assessing her surroundings, she looked around, spotting a few smaller trees as she stood up shakily. Summoning the last of her energy, she picked a tree with lower branches and scrambled up it so she could just barely make out the street from her position. It was a bit difficult to hide, because most of the leaves had fallen. Her eyes squinted while the bad men turned away from the car as it began smoking. When Audrey had taken Kit camping last year, Kit had learned that smoke meant fire and fire meant burning. Burning was dangerous. Burning hurt. Her heart screamed at her to climb back down the tree and run to the car, doing whatever it took to get the mean guys away from her mom. But she'd promised Audrey she'd hide, and Kit never broke promises.

As she watched the men retreat, she stifled a scream with her hand. Her body tingled with anger, sadness, confusion and fear. She hated those men, hated them for hurting her mom and making her say goodbye. Suddenly, something she'd never felt bubbled, burning inside her body, hot and livid and uncontrollable. For a flicker of the Hydra agents screamed out in pain, doubling over and yelping. The sound made Kit flinch, nearly slipping off her perch, concentration broken and just like that they stood up again, stumbling slightly to their car.

Time passed and Kit wasn't sure how long she'd been up in the tree, it could have been a few minutes or hours. Everything felt jumbled and fake, but if she closed her eyes she could ignore the pain in her legs and head and throat, or the shiver that shook her body, now soaked from the storm. Instead, she could pretend she was back at school, playing hide-and-go-seek with her best friends, Ava and Jack, at recess. She could pretend that everything was okay and she wasn't sick or hurt and her mom wasn't dying or dead. She focused on her mom's necklace as it laid against her skin, tucked beneath her shirt. The silver once had a warm presence, heated by her mom's skin, but now it was cold, chilled by rain and Kit's trembling body.

Frozen in place, she refused to move or open her eyes until she heard leaves crunching. Shifting upward, she peered down as she heard her name called, she was about to dismiss it as her imagination when she heard it again.

"Kristen?" the voice called. It sounded different than the harsh shout of the bad guys. It was nicer, softer. Concerned. Relief swelled in her chest.

Her hands were shaking, her heart racing in fear, it was growing more difficult to sit in the tree and the knot in her stomach was growing. Whenever Kit felt sad or scared, a hug from her mom or her friends or her teacher made her feel better. Maybe it could work now. She really just wanted to feel safe.

Her mind played tug-of-war as people came into view. Three people. One man and two women. It wasn't until she noticed the Shield symbol on their jackets that she made up her mind. Once, when she'd asked about her dad, Audrey had told her that he had died while working for a secret agency called Shield, and that he'd kept a lot of people safe while he was alive. Audrey had drawn the Shield logo for Kit when she asked, and Kit made sure to never forget it. That was the day she'd started to understand what dying meant, and she definitely didn't want that to happen to Mommy. Even though deep in Kit's stomach, where it hurt the most, she was knew it was too late for her mom to be okay.

Taking a deep breath, she answered their third call. "Here."

Three heads shot up, gazing in the opposite direction. Under different circumstances, a little smile would have formed on her lips. She was going to call out again, but she was feeling shy and scared and words kept getting stuck in her throat, so instead she broke off a branch and dropped it.

They turned toward her, and Kit watched as the youngest one nudged the older agents' shoulders and pointed to the tree, up where Kit was sitting.

The trio walked over. Coulson felt emotions conflicting inside him. Sadness, relief, longing. This had been one hell of a day, and they weren't even finished.

"Hi," he said, wearing a gentle smile. "I'm Agent Coulson. And these are my friends, Agent Skye and Agent May. We work for Shield. We're kind of like a secret police, we protect people."

Kit nodded, damp brown hair bouncing. Coulson was taken aback by how much she looked like Audrey, same face and hair and bright, chocolate eyes, big and curious and innocent.

"Can you come down?"

She studied the agents, her mind replaying all the times her mom told her about Shield and how they helped people. They were good.

But her body was hurting and her head was making her feel dizzy and her stomach was starting to hurt a little bit. Even though she wasn't too high, she didn't think she could climb down if she wanted to.

Eyes sweeping across the faces of the agents, she shook her head.

"Are you hurt?"

Raising her shoulders in a shrug conveyed her response. The conversation made her stomach hurt even more and she could feel the tears she's stifled when they approached threaten to make a reappearance.

"I know some scary things happened today, but we're not going to hurt you, okay? We're here to help you."

Tremors shook her body, fear and cold taking over. But her mom's voice in her head pushed her to talk, she needed to be brave. Mommy always told her that she was brave. So she leaned forward and made herself talk, forcing out the only phrase she could pull from her reeling brain. It was an easier way to check if they knew about what happened to her mom. A softer way to ask the question she was too afraid to verbalize. "My mommy needs help."

The looks of sympathy and grief that flashed across all the agents' faces told Kit everything she needed to know. Sometimes her mom got that look on her face when she talked about Kit's dad.

Tears gathered in her eyes and spilled over, mixing with the soft drizzle of rain that fell from the sky. She shook her head violently, ignoring the way it made everything hurt. _This isn't real. This can't be real,_ she pleaded to her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Kristen, but your mom died," Coulson said, the words foreign and bitter on his lips. It was harsh and blunt, but Coulson knew from painful childhood experience that it was best to be honest and factual.

Kit's face crumbled, logically she'd been expecting the answer but it still stung, the image of the branch in her mom's chest still burned in her head. Kit wasn't dumb, she had known there wasn't hope, but she'd still ached to believe there was. At school, she played pretend all the time, so she was going to play pretend right now. Her mom was okay and Kit was okay and everything was okay. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, it didn't work and her whole body sagged with grief.

Kit removed her hand from the branch to wipe the tears from her face, shaking fiercely. Before she could react, Kit had slipped from her seat. As leaves scraped her body, she grabbed at branches as she fell the short distance, finally making contact with one, just enough to slow her down. Her body was moving too quickly, though and she couldn't hold on.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she accepted the fact that she was falling. She'd fallen before and it hadn't been too bad. Bracing for impact, her feet brushed the ground as she waited for the rest of her body to collapse, but instead she was met with strong arms. Hesitantly, Kit looked up. Agent May was glancing at her with intense eyes, but something soft lay underneath them. Worry and kindness and a lot of things that would have filled Kit with pleasant, safe warmth if her whole world wasn't shattering into what felt like an irreparable mess.

"You're okay," May said softly, lowering Kit to the ground so she stood between Skye and Coulson. Standing there amongst tall trees and a bunch strangers, Kit had never felt so small. Not even when she'd started kindergarten or got to play soccer with the big kids.

She wavered between the two adults, they knelt down as May contacted the other Shield team at the crash site.

"You've been very brave today," Coulson said, his own pain buried beneath worry for Kit. There wasn't time for his problems. Not right now, when this little girl was depending on them to be strong. Depending on them to be the glue that would hold her together.

His words broke lose the sobs Kit had been keeping in, just as May called him over to talk with Agent Reid. Reluctantly he stood up, promising he'd be back as he moved away, leaving Skye with a bawling Kit. She wavered in her place, wrapping her arms around her little waist, sobs racking her shoulders.

"Come here, Kristen," Skye said softly, opening her arms to the girl. It was the first time the agent had spoken in front of Kit. Kit decided she liked Skye. She was pretty and looked like Kit's old soccer coach from last season, the ghost of familiarity made Kit feel safer. She flung herself against Skye, desperate for some kind of security and comfort as the day began catching up with her. The agent was soft and warm despite the rain. Kit just wanted to be held, sheltered from the fear and exhaustion making her heart ache.

Tears soaked Skye's shirt, already damp from the misty rain. She gently rubbed the young girl's back, whispering quietly in her ear. "You're safe now. I've got you. You'll be okay." Kit's body shook until the trembling finally subsided into small hiccups and sniffles, she clutched a fistful of Skye's shirt, clinging frantically. Skye could feel her own heart aching, she'd spent her life parentless and the abandonment and anxiety she'd often felt as a child still stung, vivid and haunting. She couldn't imagine how it must feel to watch your parent dying in front of you, feeling helpless and frightened. So she squeezed the girl tighter against her chest and repeated the promise that Kit was safe and would be okay, Skye vowing to herself that she'd do everything she could to make sure the statement remained true

"I think it's time we get out of this wet forest and get somewhere warm. We're going to go back to our plane. Ready to go?" Coulson said as he approached them.

"I definitely am," Skye said after Kit didn't respond, the older girl stood up as Kit clutched Skye's open hand. The girl's body shivered with the sudden lack of contact, and she fought the urge to cling to Skye.

They started walking, but after a few awkward steps and near trips on the uneven, slippery terrain, from a shaken Kit, the agents stopped and Skye bent down, feeling guilty that she let go of Kit in the first place. "What hurts?"

Kit shrugged again, tears brimming in her eyes. "Don't know," she said softly.

"Can I carry you?" Coulson asked as he stooped down beside her, knowing it was important for Kit to trust all of them.

Everything was hurting, dizziness was making her body weak and she felt exhaustion pulling at her eyelids. She bit her bottom lip and gave a little nod, hesitantly releasing Skye's hand and taking a step toward him.

A sigh of relief escaped as Coulson lifted Kit off the ground. She wiggled until she was situated on his hip, her legs dangling as they walked. Her body was rigid and tense with fear, fighting fatigue. Coulson swore his heart was going to break.

"What's your favorite subject in school?" he asked, hoping to distract Kit and get her to relax a bit while they navigated the short, dirt trail.

She pondered the question seriously. She liked reading, especially since she'd started _Harry Potter_ a few weeks ago and he was her absolute favorite, well actually Hermione was, but she liked them both. She also liked music class, and her mom had started teaching her guitar, but that thought made her feel like crying so she dismissed it as soon as she could. Her mind moved to the science experiment she was supposed to be doing today, and the science lesson they'd had yesterday about the solar system and she just _knew._ "Science," she answered softly.

Small smiles broke out onto the faces of each agent, the image of two zealous scientists leaping into their heads. "FitzSimmons are going to have a field day with you," Coulson laughed at the image, eager to make Kit feel more comfortable. "They're our scientists," he explained.

"You'll love them," Skye added. "They're super nice, but they're always doing all these crazy things and finishing each other's sentences…"

Kit nodded as her eyes began to droop. She liked listening to Skye talk about the scientists, that way Kit's mind didn't drift to everything else. So she focused on Skye's voice and the crunching of leaves. Despite her attempts not to, Kit had fallen asleep within minutes, going limp in Coulson's arms as her head rested against his shoulder, her soft breath warm against him as the rain began to stop.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sir, I'd like permission for my team to take over the investigation and for Kristen Nathan to stay on the Bus with us," Coulson asked as Fury appeared on the screen.

"Denied."

"Wait," Coulson began and Fury raised his eyebrows. "We…um," he paused for a second, trying to buy time. He really should have thought this through a bit more. "I'm not going to let Kristen go. She needs a home and someone to look after her. I won't let her down, not this time."

At that moment, Skye rushed into the room, laptop balanced in her arms as she looked at the screen.

An apology came from Coulson at the interruption, looking at Fury before turning to the agent in the doorway. "Skye, this isn't a good time."

"Hydra's involved," she stated, ignoring his protest.

"We'll talk later."

"Coulson… Hydra. This was Hydra."

"Skye, not now. I'll meet you in my office when I'm done here."

"Wait, I want to hear this," Fury said and Skye looked up, noticing him for the first time. "How do you know?" he asked.

"While reviewing the tapes from the highway cameras and Shield helicopter I found the Hydra logo clearly displayed inside the black SUV that hit the other car and on their clothing. It's definitely them."

Fury nodded. "All right. Thank you, Agent."

"Thanks, Skye," Coulson said, giving her a quick nod as she left the room.

"This changes things," Fury stated.

"I think my team is more than suitable for this mission."

"Why?"

"We've had experience with Hydra before. FitzSimmons are some of the best scientists I've ever worked with, if anyone can figure out the biological and technical side of what's planned, it's them. Skye can get into Hydra files we never knew existed. May and Ward will be ready for any physical confrontations we have and we've got Audrey's daughter, Kristen, with us. She could be an asset, too. "

"A child is going to be an asset to your team?"

"We don't know what kind of information she might have. With the exception of a few Hydra agents, Kristen might be the only one who actually knows what happened. Plus, we don't know what Hydra wanted from Kristen or Audrey. The kid is probably still in danger. She needs our protection and she doesn't have anyone else. There's no father on the birth certificate."

Fury exhaled heavily and Coulson hid his own subsequent relieved sigh behind a cough. "All right, but I need frequent reports and updates. There's also a minor living on your plane now, that's a disaster. You and your team still need to focus on your mission, but the girl is still a kid, she needs to go to school—figure something out with online classes or with the two genius you've got there. When she's ready, if it's possible, try to get her to finish out her school year at her school, but only if it's safe. If she starts impacting your ability to perform, I can't let it continue. Are we clear?"

Coulson nodded, he'd agree to any circumstances if it meant Kit could stay with them.

"All right, good then. And before you go, Coulson, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, sir," Coulson said before powering off the screen.

0-0-0

When they'd arrived at the Bus, Coulson had reluctantly passed off Kit to Skye and Simmons, so he could make the quick call to Fury, while Skye reviewed footage and Simmons helped watch Kit. Now that he was finished, he was meeting them in the lab so Simmons could run a medical exam on Kit.

For the fourth time that day, Kit was woken up, this time it was someone else calling her name. The voice was nice and belonged to a female. Immediately, Kit's heart fluttered to 'mom' and then reality came crashing back down. It hurt to think about that so she pushed it away, focusing instead on her surroundings. She was still in someone's arms, but they felt different. There was a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her and she vaguely remembered being woken up a few minutes earlier to change into someone else's clothes, they were too big, but at least they were dry. The person saying her name sounded like some of the characters on the _Harry Potter_ movie she'd watched last week. The flurry of negative emotions she'd felt earlier had temporarily dissipated, leaving in its wake an empty numbness.

Beckoning her courage, Kit opened her eyes just as Coulson entered. She squinted in the bright light and pressed her face back against the shoulder that was carrying her. A hand rubbed her back in soothing circles and made Kit feel okay enough to look out at everyone. After realizing that Skye was holding her, Kit curled back towards Skye, burrowing against her. Skye had been nice, Coulson had too, but in Kit's few years she spent most of her time around females and naturally gravitated toward them for security. They were familiar. Kit could trust them.

Across from her, Coulson stood next to another woman with brown hair and the funny voice.

"Hi, Kristen, sorry to wake you, but this is Jemma, she's going to make sure you're okay. She's one of the scientists I mentioned earlier. She's the Simmons to our FitzSimmons."

Jemma smiled and gave a little wave. "Hi, Kristen."

Kit's mom had always taught her to be friendly, so she tried to smile or wave, but she couldn't manage it. She just blinked heavily and nodded, drawing up a loosely closed fist to rub her eye. After a moment of silence, in spite of her temporarily acquired distaste for speaking, there was one thing she had to tell them. "People call me Kit."

"Kit?" Skye asked for clarification and the little girl nodded before turning her head back against Skye's neck and nestling closer. "Sometimes my mommy and friends call me Kitty, too," she mumbled into Skye's hair.

"Kit or Kitty," the agent repeated so the other two adults could hear. "That's pretty cool," she said.

"All right, Kit, well, I was planning on running a few medical tests on you. Is that okay?"

Kit nodded as Skye placed her on the examination table. "I'll just go slow and let you know what I'm doing. If you want me to stop let me know," Simmons said as she pulled on a pair of blue gloves.

"Before we begin, is there anything that's hurting you right now?"

Previously Kit had been mulling through a dull numbness, not even registering the physical pain she'd been feeling, but now the throbbing in her legs and ache all over her body was growing, plunging her into the relentless, icy waters of reality. The table felt cold and foreign and made Kit feel like squirming. Tears welled in her eyes, Jemma was like a doctor and Kit had never been to a doctor's office without her mom and now everything was hurting and she had no idea what to do. Swallowing thickly, she tried to stop crying, hating the way she felt when she cried in front of people.

Warmth engulfed her hand as Skye gave it a reassuring squeeze. Kit pulled her small hand away, feeling guilty and exhausted, curling it into a fist and rubbing her eyes as she sat up. Skye retracted her own hand, burying her hurt. The only hand that would make this okay for Kit, was her mom's, and it was too late for that now. Her fingers gravitated to the necklace tucked beneath the sweater she was wearing, she squeezed the metal through the fabric, feeling a little bit closer to her mom.

"Kit?" Coulson asked.

The little girl didn't respond, just shook her head as her tears subsided, dropping her fingers from the necklace, it was between her and Mommy and no one else.

A few moments of fragile silence gripped the room until Simmons spoke up again. "How about I start by listening to your heart?"

Kit nodded, sniffling as she stretched out again, feeling embarrassed as the numb feeling started washing over her again. "Sorry," she whispered, just loud enough for the adults to hear.

Jemma was the first to respond. "Oh, no need to apologize, Kit."

"Yeah, it's okay," Skye said. The little girl sighed softly in relief at Skye's words. Kit outstretched a small, shaking hand reaching toward Skye. Their eyes locked together for a second before Kit broke the gaze, but she kept her hand where it was and Skye squeezed it softly.

"You'll be okay," Skye said, then leaned in closer and whispered loudly like a child sharing a secret. "Jemma is really, really nice."

Skye gave Kit a reassuring smile before joining Coulson on a set of lab stools as Simmons began the exam. She placed a stethoscope against Kit's shirt, the smallest shirt they could find was Jemma's old sweater from her Academy days and the other Shield team had a small pair of sweatpants from the emergency kit on their helicopter. Half an hour after getting back to the Bus and some disgruntled arguing, Simmons and Skye had convinced Ward and Fitz to take a brief shopping trip and get the essentials for Kit until Coulson had a chance to get her things from Audrey's house. Skye and Simmons had been receiving frantic, confused calls rather frequently from Ward and Fitz since they left half an hour ago, but with their phones outside of the lab, they had no idea how the boys were currently handling the shopping.

After a few seconds Simmons straightened up. "Well, Miss Kit, I've got some good news for you. Your heart sounds normal. Before we move on to some customary examinations, I'd like to run a couple concussion tests simply as a precaution, since head injuries are quite common in automobile accidents."

The words dully registered in Kit's mind, she found herself responding with the same withdrawn nod she'd used for the past few hours. Her eyes followed Simmons as she turned to Coulson and Skye, telling him that she was going to check for physical symptoms more than emotional and cognitive ones since they could overlap with the trauma Kit had experience. "Do whatever you feel is necessary. I trust you, Simmons," he had said, and Simmons gave him a small smile before shifting her attention back to Kit.

"Do you have a headache?" Simmons asked, head tilted slightly to the side.

Kit nodded. "But I had it since this morning. I was sick so my…" _mommy picked me up,_ she intended to say, but the word 'mommy' got stuck in her throat, making the room feel small and her chest tighten. "So I got picked up," she finished after a pause. Maybe if she hadn't been sick, they wouldn't have been on the road and they wouldn't have been hit and her mom wouldn't be dead. Maybe this was all her fault. Maybe she'd complained too much about having to go home and that's why Mommy was gone. Maybe if she was better Mommy could come back. She shoved the thought away again, she'd have time to think about it later. Right now, she just needed to get through this.

"Oh, you poor thing," Simmons cooed, "Ill on top of all this. I'll finish up these concussion tests and then see if I have any medicine to make you feel better."

As Kit ran through the next test, something about coordination—alternating between tapping her nose and Simmons' finger, she thought about medicine and how it might make her head stop hurting, but it wouldn't be able to fix the sadness radiating through her chest or the anxiety gripping her heart.

After a few more assessments and questions that had pretty obvious answers to Kit, Simmons clapped her hands together softly. "You appear to be concussion free, Kit. Which is a very good thing because concussions can be scary business. We're almost done, though, now I'm going to take your temperature."

Twenty minutes later, Simmons announced that she was finished. She diagnosed Kit with a common cold, stating that it should resolve itself within a few days and providing her with some medicine. Kit merely drank the liquid without even a wrinkle of her nose, her slumped posture radiating fatigue and defeat.

The exhaustion was evident on her face as she tucked her knees against her stomach, feeling impossibly small in the foreign environment.

"Hey, Kit, do you want me to show you your room, so you can sleep for a little bit before dinner?" Skye asked, standing up as she did so.

Kit shrugged, whispering an "okay" as she wiggled off the table with Jemma's help. The little girl followed Skye dutifully out of the lab, attempting to match strides with small feet.

In the privacy of the room, Coulson turned toward Simmons. "How bad is it?"

"As far as her physical injuries go, it's a bit remarkable actually. Beyond a few bruises and scratches she's in good shape, save the minor illness. But emotionally I'm quite concerned. This is a big change for her. She's lost her mother and now she's in an entirely foreign place with a bunch of strangers."

Coulson nodded. "I know it's not your expertise, but do you have any suggestions?"

"I haven't formally studied child psychology; however, in my free time, I once stumbled upon some research a few years ago. I believe that the best route is to be straight forward with Kit, she needs time to grieve and she needs to know that it's okay to talk about her mother and maintain a connection with her. It's going to take a lot of time and support, but she seems strong."

"Thanks, Simmons," Coulson said as he stood, making his way to the door, silently promising to himself that he would do everything in his power to make Kit more comfortable, to help her feel okay. He knew what it was like to loss a parent; was all too familiar with the pain and sentiments of abandonment and confusion and guilt.

"How are you doing, sir?" Simmons asked, concern driving her voice softly at the sight of Coulson standing still, lost in thought.

"I'll be all right," he responded, with a small smile and nod before leaving the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Kit clutched her hands together as she followed Coulson into the living area for dinner. Her stomach felt funny and her throat was tight.

Meanwhile, Coulson was racking his brain for words to break the silence. What do you say to someone whose life is falling apart? To someone ripped away from everything they'd ever known? Then there was Audrey, sweet, wonderful, brave Audrey who wasn't breathing anymore, and that made his heart feel like it wasn't beating the same way.

"Kit, if you ever need anything, you can always come to me or any of us on the Bus, okay?"

She nodded beside him, her chin bowing and rising so minutely he almost missed it.

"I know things are scary and new right now, but we're going to keep you safe. If you ever feel uncomfortable just tell us and we'll do whatever we can to make it better."

Another tiny little nod, with big eyes and a small pout.

Coulson clandestinely watched as she sucked in a deep breath and opened her mouth to say something, before closing it and looking down, squeezing her fingers together more tightly.

He had to fight every muscle in his body to keep from drawing her into a hug right there. He couldn't overwhelm or startle her, and pulling her into a tight hug would definitely accomplish that. But he wanted to, God, he just wanted to gather the small girl into his arms and hug her so securely that she never felt lonely or scared or sad again.

Instead, he continued walking beside her, hoping that by some way in this crazy universe she might understand how much he already cared for her. How hard he was going to fight to give her safety and love and a chance in this world.

"Skye, May, and Simons are part of the team and then there's Ward and Fitz who you'll met, right about… now," Coulson concluded as they entered the living room.

"Ward, Fitz, come meet Kit," Coulson called out.

Both men looked up from the box of pizza they were leaning over.

"Hi, Kit," Fitz said, wearing a goofy grin.

"Hi," Ward said as well, a small awkward smile straining across his lips.

Kit managed a little wave as she peered out from behind Coulson's legs. Ward and Fitz were tall, like the men who'd attacked her car today, and Kit couldn't fight the instinct to shy away. Her fingers uncurled around each other, favoring wrapping her arms around her stomach, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"Hey, Kit, did you know that Ward and Fitz picked out your pajamas today? They're the reason we have eight pairs of the same thing with different animals."

Kit shuffled out from behind Coulson a bit, she'd thought it was a bit weird that there were so many pajamas in her room.

"Well, we didn't know which animals you would like best," Fitz defended.

"Fitz wouldn't stop putting the monkey pajamas in the cart, and I wasn't sure if Kit liked monkeys. In hind sight, thing got out of hand," Ward said seriously.

"We're very sorry," Fitz added.

A smile snuck across Kit's face, she took a full step so that she was standing beside Coulson. Ward and Fitz's friendly banter and warm voices were nothing like the bad men.

"I like your shirt," Fitz said, glancing at Kit's purple pajamas, "the polar bears were a good choice."

"Thank you," Kit said softly, the two men hearing her voice for the first time and offering welcoming smiles.

"You're very welcome," Fitz said.

Before anyone could speak up, Skye and Jemma entered the room, cheerfully calling Kit's name and saying hello as May began doling out pizza.

They all settled across the couch and chairs with dinner, hoping to make the atmosphere casual so Kit would feel more comfortable. It didn't really work, though. Kit wasn't hungry and the thought of food made her stomach tighten and twist, but she didn't want to make anyone upset so she tried to take a bite. It just made her feel bad, so when she thought nobody was paying attention she put the plate down, bringing her knees against her chest and willing herself not to cry.

FitzSimmons were talking about something complicated that Coulson didn't think he had a chance of understanding. Skye was teasing Ward about beating him at Battleships for the second time in a row, and May was watching them, a small smirk on her face at Ward's obvious defeat.

Coulson was not-so-subtly keeping an eye on Kit, making sure she was okay. But it quickly became clear that she wasn't. He didn't know if he should intervene, but eventually he pressed his lips together and sat back further in his seat. It would be wrong to make Kit uncomfortable or call her out in front of everyone. So he stayed silent, his mind racing.

He tried to keep his brain from drifting, pondering over Audrey, over the fact that her body was waiting to be autopsied with Jemma's assistance. Over the fact that Audrey would never play the cello again or hold Kit's hand. He didn't have time to mull over what-ifs. Right now, he had to focus on Kit, she'd lost the most important person in her life and nothing was ever going to be the same.

A few minutes later, FitzSimmons shot up from their seats, hands flapping excitedly as they muttered about a new idea they just _had_ to test out. By seven, May and Ward had left and it was just Kit, Skye, and Coulson.

"You don't want any pizza?" Skye asked as she got up and settled next to Kit.

She shook her head. "I'm not really hungry."

Skye nodded. "All right. Well, if you do decide you want to eat, just let me know. I'm sure I could fix something up for you."

Coulson was eternally grateful for Skye's laidback attitude and insane sweetness. She wasn't going to let Kit pull back and isolate herself. Skye was good at wrapping people up and making them feel as if they'd known her their whole life. She possessed a warm, magnetic quality about her, and Coulson had never appreciated it so greatly until he watch Kit uncurl herself and slip her hand into Skye's, accepting the agent's offer to go see what FitzSimmons were up to before brushing teeth and getting ready for bed.

Kit was scared and confused, and had never felt more alone in her life. She needed someone she could trust and Skye had been really nice. So she'd softly held onto Skye's outstretched hand, finding a slight comfort in its warmth and softness. It made Kit happy that she'd taken the chance and held Skye's hand. Sometimes being brave was worth it.

0-0-0

Sleep was evading Coulson, and he couldn't take it. The quiet darkness gave his brain the unwanted chance to catch up on the day's events, processing the situations and acknowledging the emotions he'd been trying to ignore. After a few restless hours, he gave up and headed to the kitchen for hot chocolate, hoping that the warm drink might bring slumber.

He was surprised to find Skye there, already nursing a mug between her hands.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice soft as he joined her.

She shook her head. "I feel so bad. God, she must be terrified," Skye said, referring to Kit.

"I think the best thing we can do now is just make sure she knows she's safe, and in the meantime, figure out why Hydra did this."

"Life can be so unfair," she muttered bitterly after a few seconds, feeling too familiar with the anxiety concomitant with living in a new place with strangers.

"Things like this can bring back painful memories, huh?"

"That's for sure. How about you?" the younger agent began, not wanting to divulge into the not-so-great memories of her past. "Holding up okay?"

"As best can be expected," he replied.

She flashed him a small, hopeful smile as she reached over and squeezed his hand. "Things will get better, AC. If anyone can make Kit feel better, it'll be you."

Her words warmed his heart and he was once against taken aback by her optimism. Her resilience never ceased to amaze him. "Thanks, Skye," he said sincerely. "You're good for her. She likes you already, she trusts you."

Skye was about to reply when they heard screams from Kit's room.

Kit couldn't sleep that night, not in the bed that wasn't hers or without her blueish gray elephant she'd slept with since she was three. Closing her eyes only produced the reoccurring images of the day, flashing through her mind in some macabre slideshow. Her mother and blood and the screeching of metal.

As soon as her eyes closed, they bolted open again, a sob catching in her throat as she sat up. Abandoning the idea of sleep, Kit sat up, wishing she had something to distract her. When Skye and Coulson had come to tuck her in and say goodnight, they'd left the lamp light on without Kit even having to ask, and that made her feel a little bit better. At least they knew that sleeping in the dark could be scary sometimes.

Her mind reeled, wondering how just twenty-four hours ago, she'd been snuggled in her bed, having just fallen asleep after Mommy read her a story. Now, everything was different. Her mom was dead and Kit would never get to have that bedtime routine again. She's never get another bedtime story or goodnight kiss from her mom. Kit's heart ached with a deep kind of pain she'd never known as she eased herself back onto the bed, biting her thumb to keep her sobs from waking everyone else.

Her dreams were plagued by the same horrible images of the day, and somewhere around three in the morning, Kit startled awake. Coulson and Skye were kneeling over her. Coulson was calling her name, his hand gently shaking her shoulder as Skye stood beside him, eyebrows knit in concern.

"It's just a nightmare," Coulson said. "It's over. No one can hurt you anymore."

She sat up, lungs gasping for air, tears burning in her eyes. Nothing helped the fact that the most horrifying parts of her nightmare came from memory. Before she could register what she was doing, Kit had slipped from beneath the covers and scrambled into Skye's lap as Coulson sat beside them.

The little girl's shoulders heaved violently against Skye's chest as Kit cried, her fingers wrapped tightly around the fabric of Skye's shirt. Loud sobs eventually subsided into steady streams of tears, carving paths along cheeks too innocent for such intense pain as she wrapped her arms closer around Skye, squeezing tightly, her whole body quivering.

"I want my mommy," she whispered between gasps. "I miss Mommy. I need her," she cried desperately, her words piercing daggers of clarity, as she clung to Skye. With each word that fell from her mouth, she grew more inconsolable, working herself into a flurry of sobs and quiet half screamed words. Nothing worked to calm the traumatized girl, her whole world had fallen apart around her and now she had to sort through the pieces.

"Hey, Kit, I knew your mom," Coulson said, uncertain of why he hadn't revealed that information sooner.

She looked up at his words, crying temporarily waned as she clung to the possibility of a connection to her mom. To her favorite person in the whole world. She sniffled and rubbed some tears from her face with a loose fist.

Her red-rimmed, watery eyes were wide as she turned from Skye's arms to look at Coulson. "Y-you did?" She asked, curiosity overpowering her lingering shyness.

"I did. We used to be very good friends a few years ago."

Kit nodded, enthralled by this new link and more than welcome to the distraction. "What happened?"

The question temporarily caught him off guard, the truth seemed too heavy, too tragic, especially for a day as heartbreaking as the previous. "I had to move away for work, I didn't get to see her anymore and we couldn't talk," he answered, the false story not differing too much from the truth.

The girl accepted the answer, her gaze shifted downward as she asked her next question. "C-can you tell me a-about her? I don't want to forget an-anything," she added the last part softly, fingers gently curled around a piece of Skye's hair.

"Of course," Coulson said. "We can talk about her whenever you want. How about you lie back down and I'll tell you some stories about her?"

"Okay," Kit agreed, giving Skye one last hug before climbing out of the agent's lap and settling beneath the sheets. "We're going to take care of you now. We're going to protect you. You're safe here," Skye promised.

Kit's breathing evened out as Coulson spoke, recounting one of Audrey's concerts and how well she'd played the cello. Kit liked listening to him talk about her mom. It made Kit feel close to her again, and as his words continued she felt her eyes drooping, her tear tracks drying as she fell back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** : How crazy was that season premiere?! If anyone wants to talk about it, feel free to message me. I'd love to rant about everything that was going on there. :) Thanks for reading/reviewing/following, it means a lot! Also, just so you guys know, I'm playing around with the timeline a bit, so some details won't be entirely canon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter (I'm especially excited about the next one too), and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

The following day, Coulson was in his office pouring over Kit's information and legal documents. There were holes, lots of them. It made him worry how much Hydra might have impacted her life, manipulated it from her birth, maybe even before then. As he was looking at her birth certificate, and re-noting the lack of a father on it, a knock on the door drew his attention. "Come in."

"Hi, Coulson," Simmons said.

"Simmons," he said, looking up from the files.

"Hi," she said again, emitting nervousness.

"It's okay, Simmons. You can just say whatever it is."

Simmons sighed, clutching the folder of files closer to her chest. "Sir, I've received a conclusive report on Audrey's autopsy."

"And?"

"We've encountered some… oddities," she said vaguely, shifting on her feet.

"Such as?" Coulson prompted.

She pulled out some pictures and passed them over to him. "Hydra implanted some kind of foreign object in her, containing a multitude of chemicals. Many that I haven't often encountered. Since the necessary resources aren't available on the Bus, the substances have been sent to the Hub for further analysis. The data will be sent directly to me as soon as it's received, since we're the main team on this mission, and Fitz is going to perform a detailed examination of the device before we send it off."

"All right; keep me updated. Any ideas of what it may be?"

Simmons shook her head. "Not quite. I mean, Fitz took a brief look, too, and we both agree that it appears to emit chemicals, but the purpose isn't known, nor is the frequency or substance. We also found a GPS tracking chip, but it's damaged. Fitz is going to look into it further."

"Why would Hydra do something like that to Audrey?"

"That's been a major inquiry of mine, and I'm afraid…" she paused for a moment, selecting her words, "I'm afraid that we might be wrapped up in something much bigger than we first imagined."

"How big?"

"I can't be certain, but from our initial findings, it looks as though Hydra was experimenting. Which means Audrey probably wasn't the only one they did this to. There are likely others."

Coulson was silent, contemplating the information as Simmons continued. "Sir, I'd like to perform a blood test on Kit, if it's okay with you."

Those words sent his head snapping upward. "You don't think they tested on her, do you?"

Simmons looked increasingly uncomfortable, her eyes cloudy with sadness. "I don't know. Hydra isn't necessarily known for its morals. And, the device in Audrey is dated to ten years ago, which means the chemicals may have been transferred to Kit during Audrey's pregnancy."

Coulson's heart dropped.

"It could help me determine what Hydra's goal was—or is, while also confirming that Kit is healthy and unaffected."

He nodded, it was the right thing to do but he still felt reluctant to subject Kit to more testing. "Go ahead and run the blood work, but could you avoid telling Kit what's going on. I don't want her to worry[MB1] ."

"Of course." She paused for a moment, skimming through her papers, lips pursed slightly. "Coulson, have you looked over any of the medical records concerning Kit's birth?"

Coulson nodded. "A few of them, yes."

"They're very peculiar. Officially the pregnancy lasted ten months, which is rare, but does occur occasionally. However, it really gets quite gray in the original doctor's notes. The first doctor, Dr. Jacobson, had suspicions that Kit's conception was actually a few months earlier, making the pregnancy closer to a year, and she observed an irregular development pace of the embryo."

"How is that possible?"

"I believe it has something to do with the chemicals Hydra implanted in Audrey."

Coulson sighed. This was _definitely_ turning out to be a bigger situation than they had first imagined.

"It gets stranger," Simmons said as she flipped to another page. "Most of the reports appear inconclusive, some have entire sections blacked out. Three months into Audrey's pregnancy the OB/GYN she was visiting experienced a security breach in which the office's database was hacked and confidential patient information was stolen, including Audrey's."

"What was so special about that information?" Coulson asked, shaking his head.

"I'm not certain, but it must have been quite significant. I looked into the incident a bit further and eventually learned that two weeks after the hack, Dr. Jacobson started contacting multiple specialists to look into Audrey's pregnancy—apparently it wasn't an easy one. Dr. Jacobson must have discovered something incredibly abnormal, and it had to have threatened Hydra because three days after she began reaching out to the other doctors, Dr. Jacobson went missing and never made a reappearance."

"They killed her?"

"Killed her, kidnapped her, tortured her… with Hydra there's no way to be certain what they did to the poor woman. All I know is Audrey's next doctor was new to the area, with credentials that wouldn't be too difficult to forge, especially with Hydra's resources."

"You think Hydra sent their own doctor to watch Audrey?"

"I hate to make assumptions, but as of now it _is_ the most logical conclusion. Especially considering that the second doctor reported zero irregularities, beyond the ten month pregnancy, which he couldn't deny since Audrey knew when she became pregnant. Everything else disappeared, her medical record became squeaky clean."

"All right, well thanks, Simmons. Keep looking into it and let me know what you find."

"Okay," Simmons said with a nod, saying goodbye as she slipped out of the room.

Coulson dropped his head into his hands, never feeling quite like he'd let someone down so badly until he began to realize how much Hydra had tampered with Audrey's life.

0-0-0

Skye raised a hand to wipe a strand of sweaty hair off her forehead.

"How're you feeling?" Ward asked, walking over to the treadmill Skye was running on.

She blew out a long breath. "Horrible. Like I'm going to throw up."

"Good. Five more minutes and you're done?"

"What?!" Skye exclaimed, dramatically flailing her arms and nearly falling off the treadmill. Once her balance was regained, Skye sent him the hardest, coldest glare she could manage, although it wasn't much considering her fatigued state. "This is ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous, Skye, it's training. You're a Shield agent now, Shield agents train."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Not so early in the morning."

"It's nine."

"But you wanted me… to be here at five!" Skye muttered between pants for breath.

"And somehow that didn't stop you from showing up at seven."

A smirk formed across Skye's lips.

"I _should_ make you run an extra mile for being late."

And just like that, the smirk was gone.

Ward watched Skye for a minute longer before reaching out and slowing the treadmill. "You're good. Go get some water, we're done for the day."

"Oh thank god," Skye mumbled, taking the water Ward offered her. A few seconds later she looked up. "You know, I was late this morning because I was helping Simmons do something for Kit."

"At five in the morning?"

"Well, no. But we were working last night and didn't finish until three this morning. Hydra's doing some weird stuff. This whole situation is crazy. They freaking kidnapped Audrey's doctor when she was pregnant with Kit. It's a miracle that kid was born honestly, with all the psycho Hydra crap. I would kill to hack into those files," Skye muttered, finished her water and turning toward the exit. "Anyway, you wanna go grab some breakfast?"

"I would but I've got a report I need to finish."

"Suit yourself," Skye said, turning around in the doorway and adding, "Ready to lose at Risk later?" She sent a cheeky grin in his direction.

Ward shook his head, wondering how someone's smile and consistently ill-timed sarcastic remarks managed to tug a smirk across his face so often. He zipped up his bag before glancing up at her.

"Not in a million years, but I'll give you the chance later tonight."

"You're on."

0-0-0

A soft knock on her door drew Kit's attention.

"Hey, Kit. It's Skye. Can I come in?"

Kit dropped her pencil and slipped out of her seat, ambling toward the door and opening it for Skye. The two parts split open, revealing a pair of big brown eyes, looking up curiously at Skye with so much trust and sadness all swirled together it made Skye pause for a moment.

"What are you working on?" she asked as Kit moved away from the door, letting Skye know it was okay to come in. "Homework," Kit answered, sliding back into the small spinny chair that sat in front of her equally small desk.

"Your teacher said you didn't have to do any for a while," Skye said, referring to the conversation Coulson had with Kit's school earlier that day. He'd called mostly with the intent to feed the school Shield's provided cover that Kit was staying with distant relatives and needed time to settle down while she adapted to the situation.

Kit responded with a small shrug. "I'm all caught up. So I'm just getting ahead."

To Skye, Kit's words translated directly to 'I'm distracting myself from thinking about everything else.'

"Do you want to play board games with me and Ward?"

Kit sat still for a moment and Skye could see the conflict flickering across her face. Kit was still getting used to the rest of the team, but she was making an effort and every time she took a chance, Skye couldn't repress the warm feeling that swelled in her chest. "You can be on my team if you want. We'll definitely beat Ward that way."

"Okay," Kit said finally, her feet tapping softly against the floor as she stood up.

"Let's go see what the robot is up to," Skye said with a smile as she led Kit down the hall.

Kit laughed a little and looked up, eyes studying Skye with the kind of inquisitiveness specific to kids and scientists.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Skye asked.

"School."

"What about school?"

"I don't want to go back yet."

"You don't have to. You still have lots of time. We've got stuff planned anyway."

"I don't want to go back at all," Kit whispered and stopped walking, her voice barely loud enough for Skye to hear.

The older girl immediately paused and knelt down so she was eyelevel with Kit. "Why not?"

Kit shrugged. "Don't know," she mumbled, averting her eyes as they began to water.

"Hey, it's okay," Skye said. She stilled Kit's fidgeting hands in her own, conveying reassurance through a soft squeeze.

"I've never not wanted to go to school before," Kit said as she took a shaky breath, stabilizing herself and making the tears disappear.

"That's okay. Everything is changing so much right now, it'll all be hard for a while, but it gets better. Little school-loving Kit is still inside you. Besides, we have something way more fun than school going on…"

"What?" Kit asked through a soft sniffle.

"We're going on an adventure."

"We are?"

Skye nodded.

"Are we going to fight the bad guys?" Kit asked, a little sparkle shining in her eyes.

"Most definitely, and right now, we're going to fight Ward in Risk."

In a matter of seconds a smile was back across Kit's face. "Let's do it!"

As they approached Ward's room, their voices carried through the door, alerting Ward of their presence. With a few sharp motions he tapped out the final words of his message, sending it out within seconds and slipping his laptop under the bed. He pulled out a book just as Skye opened his door and laughed softly. She always had a way with timing. Except when they were playing Risk… then things didn't seem to work out in her favor.


	6. Chapter 6

Kit was settling in a little bit better, she'd completely attached herself to Skye—Coulson, too—but when it came to anyone else she was shy. She tried her best to be brave, but sometimes being around everyone was too scary.

The day after the accident, Coulson had gone with Kit back to her house to get some of Kit's things. Having her stuff in her room and with her, made Kit feel a lot better. The plane didn't seem so daunting anymore—or at least her bunk didn't.

The atmosphere on the Bus was heavy. Sadness hung in the air like thick humidity succeeding a thunderstorm. Coulson and Kit had just arrived back from Audrey's funeral. Coulson had given Kit the choice of going or staying on the plane, and she'd bravely gone, feeling a need to say goodbye to her mom, one more time. Her mom deserved it.

The funeral had been more depressing than Kit could have imagined. Lots of people were crying, and part of her felt like it wasn't fair. They hadn't lost their mom. Even more people came over and told Kit they were sorry for her loss. Within an hour, she'd heard the word "sorry" so much that she was sure if someone said it one more time she'd scream. People were buzzing all over the place and Kit was surprised that her mom even _knew_ so many of them. Some of Mommy's friends from the orchestra were there, and Kit was actually glad to see them. When Mommy was still alive, the musicians would come over all the time. Hugging them made her feel closer to Mommy.

Seeing the body had been one of the worst parts. The night before, with Coulson and Skye's help, Kit had written Mommy a note and made a drawing of them together. Kit had slipped it into the casket so Mommy would always have a reminder of Kit.

After that, Kit could feel the numbness giving way to a sharp pain aching in her chest. There was too much noise and too many people, and she could feel her throat tightening, everything was beginning to feel too real. If she didn't get away, she would start crying soon, and she didn't want to do that. Not surrounded by all the strangers wearing black with solemn faces and teary eyes.

Gathering some courage, she tugged on Coulson's shirt. When he looked back at her, she was surprised to see tears pooling in his eyes. She was even more surprised that it didn't make her mad; instead, she felt sad for him too.

When she'd asked if they could go, Coulson had been really nice. So nice, that Kit determined it was okay to hold his hand. She felt a little better when her fingers slipped between his, like she wasn't all by herself, even though it had been feeling that way. As they were walking away, Kit changed her mind: she wanted to stay for the whole thing, just not around everyone else.

So she and Coulson had hung out on the outskirts of the group, eventually settling down under a large oak tree. Bare branches rustled around them, dark against the gray sky. Her mom's necklace hung underneath Kit's dress, like a secret. Silence dangled between Kit and Coulson as they watched others shuffle around the casket and talk. Observing from the outside felt better, like Kit was watching a really sad movie, or a life that wasn't hers.

"My dad died when I was nine," Coulson said, breaking the quiet between them.

Kit looked up from the stick she'd been using to draw in the ground. She didn't realize this happened to other people. She'd been afraid that she was all alone, and no one had ever felt as sad as she did. She almost said she was sorry, but she was sick of hearing that, so Coulson probably was too. Instead, she gazed at him with soft brown eyes. "It's sad," she said, figuring that was the most accurate statement she could make, even though it was more than sad. Even though she was feeling things so hollowing and upsetting she didn't even have words for them.

Coulson nodded. "It is. But it gets better. You're scared right now and you feel lonely, but it doesn't feel like that forever."

Her eyes shone with a new hope. Someone had gone through the same thing as her, and they'd turned out okay. The light in her eyes was darkened by a silent plea for a promise, for something solid and secure. Mommy promised Kit that she'd be safe. She trusted Mommy, and maybe Kit could start trusting Coulson, too. He was kind of like her anyway.

As if reading Kit's mind, he spoke softly. "I promise. I promise it gets better, and you'll be okay. You have us, Kit. Everyone on the Bus cares about you. You're not alone."

His words stuck in Kit's head throughout the rest of the day and even the next day, still running in a loop as she sat at a table on the plane, almost twenty four hours later. She was supposed to be drawing, but she didn't feel like it. Instead she just glared at the markers, before looking over to the kitchen where everyone was gathered, talking in soft voices after dinner.

Kit had quietly excused herself after a few bites, not feeling very hungry even though her cold was almost completely gone. At first being alone seemed like the best option, but now she couldn't sort out her feelings. Being alone made it harder to avoid thinking about all the sad things, but being with the large group made Kit overwhelmed. For the whole day, she'd pulled away. The funeral had cemented that this was real. This was her life now, and everything was so heartbreakingly confusing and different.

After arriving back on the Bus, she'd refused to hold anyone's hands, keeping her arms tight by her sides at all times, and she'd spoken as minimally as possible. However, regret was starting to sink in, because now she was all alone and she might have made them mad or hurt their feelings. Which wasn't fair, because they'd only been nice to her. So Kit sat in her seat, swinging her feet as she tried to work up the courage to apologize.

A few minutes later, the group had slowly migrated closer, and suddenly, Coulson turned toward her. "Hey Kit, I have a bit of a problem. You see, Skye makes the best cookies, but sometimes she needs a little help. Usually I help her, but I have some stuff I need to do with May and Fitz. Do you think you can help Skye?"

Kit looked around, the tip of her thumb wedged between her teeth, eyes screaming fear. Skye held out her hand and gave Kit a warm smile.

"I do make the best cookies, but Simmons is also pretty good. She can help us, too."

Kit glanced back at Jemma, who smiled kindly. Kit briefly returned it and the whole team felt their hearts fluttering, even May—despite the fact that she'd never, not in a thousand years, publically admit it.

Jemma kept going, anything to get a smile back on the girl's face. "It's basic chemistry. Really, nothing too special. You just have to…"

She was cut off by Skye's teasing groan. "No, Simmons, please don't ruin this with your science talk." The younger agent shot the biochemist a grin. Simmons rolled her eyes but smirked. The whole exchange elicited a little smile from Kit and the two older girls shared a look. They'd managed to make Kit grin—something they'd been trying to do for the past day. Mission accomplished.

They were going to be sure there was more of that in the following hour.

"Come on, Kit Kat," Skye said, the little girl giggling softly at the new nickname. "We can eat cookie dough and we don't even have to tell Coulson."

He watched as Kit took a deep breath and stepped toward Skye and Jemma, taking both of their hands and glancing back at Coulson as they walked toward the kitchen. After an encouraging nod, she turned around again, following the older girls while they chattered about the kind of cookies they'd bake.

Warmth radiated from his heart to the tips of his limbs. Audrey had done a wonderful job with her daughter, and now that the responsibility fell on him, Coulson wasn't going to let her down.

He led May and Fitz into his office, turning to the engineer. "Simmons said you took a look at the object she found inside Audrey?"

Fitz nodded.

"What'd you find?"

"Simmons and I were right in our primary assumption. The device was designed to emit a periodic dose of whichever chemicals it contained. The timer was set to release the substance once a month, into the person's bloodstream. I was also able to extract the GPS tracking chip from the device. The chip itself is damaged and no longer emitting signals, but I'll see if Skye can get anything from it."

Coulson and May nodded. "Do you think there were other people they experimented on?" May asked.

Fitz shrugged. "I can't be sure, right now. But it would make sense."

"Any idea why they picked Audrey?"

"No, nothing yet. Simmons might have more when we get the information back on the chemicals. We're lucky there was still some left. If you want to come down to the lab, I can show you some of the other details I found."

May and Coulson nodded, following him out the office.

0-0-0

An hour later, when Coulson neared the doorway of the kitchen, he was met with a sound that was, well… interesting. He turned the corner, eyes settling on the sight before him: Skye and Jemma bouncing around the kitchen, singing into spoons in an over synchronized dance routine to a pop song that Coulson vaguely recognized as… Taylor Swift?

He observed the scene for a while longer, watched as Kit giggled from her perch on the flour-covered counter, legs swinging happily as she wiggled to the music. The song concluded with an over-the-top, totally out of key high note and the girls stuck their final pose after Skye slid the cookie dough into the oven and bumped it closed with her hip.

Just as the opening notes of the next song began to play, Coulson coughed loudly, making himself visible.

"Oh, hello, sir," Simmons said, freezing mid-hip bump with Skye and lowering her improvised microphone.

"AC! Join our dance party," Skye said with a grin, looking entirely comfortable in contrast to Jemma, whose cheeks were now a rosy hue.

At the sound of his exaggerated cough, Kit had turned around, her brown eyes searching the room until they landed on him. There was sugar and flour on the counter and floor, and a bit of chocolate was smudged against Kit's nose. Maybe there was part of an egg shell next to the sink and something that looked like dough in Skye's hair. Coulson didn't care, all he could see was the lack of tension in Kit's muscles, the happy kicking of her sock clad feet and the brilliant, huge grin that lit up her face.

He'd let her make a thousand messes if it meant she'd smile like that again.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! Just a quick note on this chapter: I don't know if there's an actual meeting room on the Bus, but for the sake of the story, I'm using my creative license to create one. :) Also thanks so much to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following, etc. It means a lot!

* * *

"Kit?" Skye called out as she descended the stairs toward the lab, finally returning back to the Bus after a supply run that evening with Ward.

"She's in here," Simmons replied, her voice carrying softly through the glass and toward the other girl.

A moment later, Skye appeared in the lab, lips curling into a smile at the scene. Kit was settled on Simmons' lap, smiling brightly as she peered into a microscope. Across from them, Fitz was sitting at a lab stool, sorting through specimen samples and occasionally passing one off to Simmons to put in for Kit.

"It's moving!" Kit said, wiggling against Jemma's legs to get a better look into the microscope. "Look!"

She moved her head to the side so the biochemist could see. Simmons glanced through the lens and smiled. "Nice observation, Kit. That was a good catch."

Kit beamed proudly, her eyes shining up at Simmons with an overwhelming amount of admiration. "Thank you," she said through a grin before turning toward the hacker, finally noticing her presence. Kit jumped off Simmons' lap and ran towards Skye, wrapping her arms around the older girl's legs. "Skye! Come look at what Jemma and Fitz are showing me."

She loosely took Skye's hand and pulled her to the microscope. Skye shared a quick smile with the two scientists before looking through the lens. "Whoa, this is pretty cool, Kit Kat. Where's the sample from?"

"We went to a lake and I got to climb through all the mud to fill a cup with water."

Skye laughed. "That sounds fun."

"It was quite the adventure," Simmons said.

" 'specially when you tried to push me in," Fitz added, looking at Jemma with a mock glare.

She smirked, rolling her eyes before glancing at Kit, who'd relocated back onto the biochemist's lab. "Do you remember some of the things that we can see inside the sample? Do you want to tell Skye?"

A dutiful nod came from Kit. "The little thing moving in the corner is a Protist. Then there's ci… ciliates! And… ameboas?"

"Amoebas," Simmons corrected gently. "That was spectacular, Miss Kit."

"Nailed it," Skye said, fist bumping Kit.

That proud little smile lit up Kit's face.

"Want to start getting ready for bed?" Skye asked.

Kit's eyes wandered over FitzSimmons and the microscope, she shook her head and leaned back, turning against Jemma to hide a yawn.

"Come on, little one," Skye said and picked up Kit from Simmons.

"She's showered and teeth have been brushed," Simmons said, having gladly taken on the duty of helping Kit get ready for bed that night.

They all exchanged lengthy goodnights before Skye left the lab and carried a sleepy Kit to her bunk, hanging out for a few minutes before Coulson arrived to tuck in Kit and read her a bedtime story.

0-0-0

"So, what have we got?" Coulson asked as he lowered himself into a seat half an hour and a half later, looking across the table at the rest of the team. "Simmons you have the blood work?"

Jemma nodded, straightening in her seat and producing a stack of files. "Kit's results are quite abnormal. Her white blood cell count is a bit off due to her illness, but that's to be expected. What's really strange, is her DNA. It emits a series of waves or vibrations, so to speak. They're soft and nearly undetectable in such small quantities, but put together… the results could be remarkable."

Coulson frowned. "Is she okay though? Is she safe?"

"By the looks of it, yes. But I have no way of being certain. This is entirely out of my realm."

"What do you think the waves can do?"

Simmons shrugged. "I don't know, but I bet Hydra does. If we could just get into their system, look around a bit, find a few files, I might be able to make sense of all this…"

"Her DNA is so jacked up that you don't even understand it?"

Simmons turned to face Skye and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The basics are there, but beyond identifying the common structures I'm unable to recognize and pinpoint all the abnormalities."

"I'll get into their system," Skye declared. "It might take a while but I'll figure something out."

This time Ward was dubious. "You really think you can just get into Hydra's system?"

"Well… yeah."

"It's sort of our only option anyway," Simmons said.

Fitz nodded in agreement. "I'm at a standstill with the device in Audrey, too. We need more information."

"How long do you think it will take to get it?" May asked.

"Depends," Skye answered, movement around the corner catching her eye. "A few hours maybe."

As she turned around, a smile spread across her face. "Look, guys, it's Kit Kat." She gave a little wave to Kit, who lingered on the other side of the door, hesitantly waving back.

"Hey, Kit," Skye said, "I thought you were in bed already."

Kit shook her head, fingers knotted around her shirt and it was then that Skye noticed the tear tracks on Kit's cheeks. The agent waved Kit over and at the first sign of welcome, Kit climbed into Skye's lap and laid back against Skye's chest. "Couldn't sleep," she mumbled and sleepily rubbed her eyes.

"How about we go read another bedtime story?" Coulson suggested from his seat beside Skye.

Kit shook her head. "I wanna stay here, with you guys."

He knew he should enforce a decent bedtime and following the rules, but this time he couldn't, not when she was finally starting to feel relaxed enough to seek out comfort and help from them.

So, when she leaned and reached out for him over the edge of Skye's seat, he gladly helped her to his side and rubbed circles on her back as she nestled against him.

"What're you talking about?" she asked, raising her head just a little.

"Ohh, nothing fun," Skye said.

"Icky grown up stuff," Simmons added and Fitz wrinkled his nose. "So boring."

Kit smiled tiredly. "I think grown up stuff can be fun."

"Sometimes it is."

"You know what's the most fun?" Kit asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Marshmallows," she said, before thoughtfully adding, "And forts. Forts and marshmallows and also capture the flag." Kit nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"You like capture the flag?" May asked, the smirk on her face revealing that there was a long story behind that one, especially by the way she briefly caught Coulson's eye, an identical smile on his lips.

With drooping eyes, Kit nodded. "Yeah."

They talked for a while longer, the adults keeping the conversation light until Kit fell asleep completely against Coulson. He glanced down at her, Kit's breathing had finally evened out, her head nestled against his chest, right where his heart was. He smiled affectionately before looking up at Skye's question. "When I get into Hydra's system, time will probably be pretty low. What information should I prioritize?"

Coulson was about to reply when Kit stirred, mumbling something about being tired. "One second," Coulson said apologetically, "I'm going to put her to bed, real quick."

"I can do it," May said suddenly, mouth moving before her brain could catch up.

Her firm gaze suppressed any looks of surprise that threatened to cross the team's face.

"That way you and Skye can keep working on the plan."

Coulson was silent for a moment then broke into a little grin. "Okay. Thank you."

May rolled her eyes at him, praying to whoever's out there that he hadn't caught her checking on Kit every single night since she arrived on the plane. It would definitely ruin her image. She shook away the thought, a small smile sneaking across her lips as Coulson transferred the sleeping child into her arms.

"I'll be back," she whispered before turning away and heading out, Kit entirely limp in her arms.

It wasn't difficult for May to quiet her footsteps, she _did_ work for a spy agency after all, but she made a cognizant effort. She didn't say anything, just watched the little girl, looking so peaceful in her sleep despite the tragedy that had colored her life. As May stepped into Kit's bunk, the girl stirred, straightening slightly and sleepily tugging May closer to her, little fingers tangled in her hair.

"Mommy," Kit mumbled.

May froze, muscles going stiff, heart pounding in her chest and tears threatening to brim her eyes. It was apparent the name wasn't directed to her, that Kit was dreaming, and in her subconscious state her mom was still alive.

With a shuddery breath May pulled Kit toward her, pressing the little girl's body against hers, wishing there was a way to make this all better. Could they ever really be enough?

Regaining a loss in slumber was sweet and warm and uplifting, for a few blissful moments of dream all the fragments of your life are back together, fitted in place just the way they should be. May had spent too many nights under a dull moon that started the same way, but she always woke, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from shattering as reality crashed back in.

She still hadn't decided if those shards of harmony were worth it.

She pushed the thoughts from her head and lowered Kit, placing her under the covers and watching as Kit immediately drew her legs to her chest, curling against her pillow. May gently lifted Kit's stuffed elephant from the foot of the bed and put it between the sleeping girl's arms.

May studied Kit for a moment longer, gently brushing a strand of hair off her face. Finally May pulled herself away and moved toward the door, giving a last look over her shoulder before slipping out of the room and heading back to the meeting room, senses relaxed with a strange feeling of calm. She'd just began contemplating tomorrow's morning departure from Portland when the lights flickered off. She shuffled forward into the darkness, mind suddenly racing. The click and snap of a gun filled the air. Then thick, crimson blood leaked between her fingertips, and everything went to hell.


	8. Chapter 8

"What the hell was that?" Coulson said, bolting out of his seat in the dark room. A few emergency lights flashed on dimly, casting eerie shadows across the faces of each agent.

"System's down," Skye said, glancing up from her computer before shifting her gaze back down.

After a series of clicks, she swore and looked at Coulson. "Security footage is running on a loop. The security barricades have been disabled. Someone's on the Bus, and by the sound of it, they're definitely armed."

"Shit, okay. May should be with Kit, so she'll be fine. Ward, you—"

"We're looking at six guys," Skye interrupted. "Full tactical and full Hydra. I was able to retrieve the earlier footage, but at this point the cameras are shot. I can't get anything current."

Coulson gave a sharp nod. "We can take six. Let's roll. Skye and Ward, we'll go search, see if we can stop and grab some more weapons as we move. FitzSimmons, if you've got any science solutions, go for it. But stay safe, you're not combat trained and we can't afford to lose you guys. Everyone got it?"

A series of yeses and nods followed.

"All right, let's go," Coulson said, cracking open the door and surveying the hall before motioning for Skye and Ward to trail him.

They moved into the semi-lit hall, each armed with the few weapons from their meeting room and whatever they'd had on them earlier. Coulson took the lead and turned around the next corner, breath held tight in his chest as he peered into the darkened room.

There was a scuffle, a flurry of footsteps. Two Hydra men entered from the other side of the room, pacing near the doorway as if standing guard. Coulson snapped back against the wall, signaling to Skye and Ward that there were two agents.

Counting down from three, they snapped into motion. Skye sprang forward, drawing the attention of both agents before taking a shot and dropping beneath a table. Her knees slammed against the floor, the impact vibrating through her bones. She pressed herself down, obstructing her figure from their view. Her heart thundered in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her body as Ward and Coulson took the sides, exploiting the Hydra agents' lack of attention and taking them out with two swift shots.

"All right," Coulson said with a grim nod and deep breath. "Four left."

0-0-0

May lowered an arm to her thigh, crouching in the darkness as the emergency lights threatened to give out. Thick red blood oozed between her fingers.

She'd been hit.

A grimace pulled at her features as she pressed against the outer seam of her pants, finding the source of the bleeding in her upper thigh where a bullet had grazed her skin. A set of footsteps pulled her attention, adrenaline and the danger of the situation distracting her mind from the burning in her leg.

The footsteps were growing closer, thick black tactical boots echoing across the floor. She sunk back against the chair she was behind and squinted in the darkness, turning slightly and catching sight of a moving figure, tall and muscular, Hydra logo clear and impossible to ignore. His eyes were narrowed, gaze presumably seeking out May.

As he turned to face away from her, she flattened herself against the ground, making her body as long as possible and inched forward. With a quick extension of her leg, she shoved a chair and sent it in the opposite direction as it groaned in resistance, ringing out in the eerie, tense silence.

The Hydra agent's head snapped in her direction.

May bit her lip to keep from making any noise as she slid back behind her original chair, holding back a sigh at the blood that streaked the floor. As her fingers fumbled against the ground, they collided with a book and she pulled it toward herself, thankful for once that the younger agents on the team tended to leave their stuff lying all over the Bus.

She sucked in a breath as quietly as she could and flung the book across the room, low and hard until it crashed against the perpendicular wall and clattered to the floor.

Footsteps pounded against the floor, their boom thudding in May's head as they grew closer. She held her breath and eased herself into a low crouch, teeth biting into her cheek as hot, sharp pain pulsed in her thigh.

Her muscles were rigid and ready as his bulky body passed hers.

The second he was a few feet in front of her, May shot up, delivering a kick to the backs of his knees, driving him off balance. He slanted forward and she thrust her elbow into his arm, sending his gun clattering to the floor.

He scrambled to grab it just as May's toe sent it sliding across the floor beyond reach. This time however, the movement sent her off balance and she took a hard blow to the stomach, knocking her to the ground as she coughed, temporarily short of breath.

She pulled the other agent down with her and scrambled out from underneath him. As she loomed over him, he lunged forward, his hands curling around neck. With a quick motion she pulled away from his grasp and slammed his head against the ground.

Immediately he went limp, but his breathing remained steady. May took advantage of the break to grab has weapon and a pair of handcuffs hidden in a compartment under the table—she'd discovered all of Coulson's hiding spots months ago.

It took a few minutes, but she was eventually able to drag the agent's body to the closest staircase and handcuff him there. She knew HQ would want a Hydra agent to interrogate. Plus, there were definitely more of them on the Bus, and she'd be damned if any others made it off the plane without at least one major injury and a series of regrets.

She was about to move away when the Hydra agent's earpiece crackled. With a quick motion she pulled it from him and listened to the voice of another Hydra agent. She couldn't catch the first part of his message and it went silent for a moment before his voice returned.

"Mercer, do you read me? I'm weaponless and have failed to make contact with Pryor, Dolan, Mead, or Shaver. Mead and Shaver took my gun and went in for the subject. Further contact has not been made."

There was another gap of silence before his voice crackled through the earpiece. The following words sent daggers of ice into May's blood stream, circling in a loop as she took off running, newfound adrenaline blanketing her pain. Though each burning step, his words propelled her. "I'm going for the target. We're taking her back. Dead or alive."


	9. Chapter 9

"Fitz! We can't just stay here… We've got to do _something."_

"Simmons, you heard Coulson."

"And he said if we could help then we should," Simmons argued, pausing midstride in her pacing to look at him.

"He also said not to get hurt."

"And we won't. We've got tons of prototype weapons and technology that would be perfect for this."

Fitz closed his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, but only 'cause the lab's close and the team might need our help."

Simmons smiled triumphantly. "Very well then. Let's get going, shall we?" she asked, opening the door slightly and glancing down the hall.

"We're good," she whispered to Fitz beside her.

He shook his head and grumbled, "There's only six and May's probably taken out at least four by now."

0-0-0

May raced down the stairs, willing her legs to take each step quicker than the last. She'd caught sight of what seemed to be the last Hydra agent a few minutes ago, and had been in pursuit of him ever since. But as she entered the cargo hold, it was growing increasingly more difficult to ignore the sharp pain shooting up her leg.

Her head pounded as she took the final step, eyes darting across the room as she sought out the Hydra agent. Immediately, she latched onto the lab where FitzSimmons were pulling something out of a closet, their movements illuminated just barely by a flashlight on the ground. Their backs were towards May and she could tell by the way they leaned toward each other that they were whispering about the current situation.

She slipped into the lab as quickly as possible.

"FitzSimmons, have either of you seen anyone else down here?"

They both jumped at the sound of her voice, despite its softness.

"No," Fitz said as he turned around, realizing it was May. "But…"

"We heard something just a little while ago. It was too dark to see, however. Fitz and I stayed low since we weren't prepared. Thought it might just be something on the floor above us," Simmons whispered.

"You think someone's here?" Fitz asked.

"Yes." May nodded. "A Hydra agent. And he's after Kit."

Simmons bit her lip. "What can we do?" she asked, eyes squinting in the darkness as she studied the older woman.

"Agent May, were you… were you shot?"

"Yes. It's a graze. I'll survive."

"You know, I really think you should-"

"There's no time for anything until we get this agent."

Simmons sighed in response and glanced at Fitz. He shrugged at her before they both turned back to face May.

"Look," she began. "I blocked the top door by the stairs with a broom when I came in. The Hydra agent is trapped somewhere in this room, but it won't hold for long. It was the best I could do. If he has enough time with the door he can easily get out."

"So what do we do?" Fitz asked.

"Find him first. From there, do whatever it takes."

"It sounded like whoever entered first went to the far left corner."

May nodded. "It couldn't have been long ago. What do we have down here as far as weapons?"

"Couple of ICERs."

"Some prototype explosives with a concentrated blast that temporarily stuns the target's senses."

"A Taser for the senses, in a way. Quite loud though."

"It works within a three foot radius, so we'll be fine if we're far enough away. After ten seconds the substance reacts with oxygen and becomes neutralized, losing its ability to impact others. The victim, however, undergoes the effects for up to five minutes. Enough time to disarm or restrain them."

May nodded again, running through scenarios in her mind. "Anything the agent could have gotten his hands on by the ramp?"

"Tools maybe. Possibly an ICER. I can't remember for sure, though," Fitz said.

"Okay. Where are the ICERs we have?" May whispered.

"Here's one," Simmons said, handing it to May.

"Thanks," she said, flicking off the flashlight and straightening from her crouching position beside the scientists. "I'm going to find him. You two stay here. I don't want you getting hurt."

Simmons and Fitz shook their heads. This time, it was Fitz who spoke in favor of fighting.

"We're coming, too."

Simmons nodded. "It's for Kit."

"Fine, but we need a plan. I'll—" she paused for a moment. A distant clang and then muddled thuds followed by repeated yanks on metal.

"That's him," May said, "We need to go, now. He's trying to get out."

They moved from the lab, silencing their footsteps as much as possible.

"Turn on the flashlight." May said as they approached the bottom of the stairs.

"He'll see us."

"Do it. I need a shot."

Fitz pressed the button, bright light flooded the area in a thin stream, aimed directly at the Hydra agent. He turned around firing at them before turning back to the door, managing to pull it open an inch.

"Damn, it's not clear. I won't be able to hit him."

"Here," Fitz said, thrusting the newest explosive invention into her hand and pressing a button. "You have ten seconds before it goes off. I suggest throwing it before he opens the door."

It happened quickly. May threw the grenade and it went off near the agent, its boom echoing and radiating through the walls. Within seconds he was stunned and May had climbed the stairs, taken a shot with the ICER, and left him unconscious on the ground.

A minute later, Coulson, Ward and Skye appeared in the doorway, each wielding flashlights of their own.

"What in the hell was that?" Ward asked, looking at FitzSimmons where they stood with May in the lab, trying to determine where to go next.

"A prototype."

"A very successful prototype," Fitz added. "Why'd you guys come to the lab, anyway?"

"The noise your prototype made was _slightly_ concerning. For all we knew, Hydra was trying to take down the Bus completely," Skye answered.

Fitz shrugged, glancing quickly to where May was sitting on the examination table on Simmons' orders. The older agent and Coulson were talking in hushed voices. May looked back over at the group, deciding to address them as a whole. "Four out of the six Hydra agents have been accounted for. The last two were sent directly to Kit's bunk to take her. They weren't responding to Hydra's messages. Their positions are unknown as is their state. Kit is also unaccounted for."

The air was tense with silence.

"I'm going for Kit," Coulson said shattering the quiet. He tore out of the lab, taking the stairs two at a time as he moved toward Kit's bunk.

Skye and Coulson shared a quick look before taking off after him, their footsteps echoing back into the lab.

"I'm going too," May said, sliding off the examination table. A hiss slipped from clenched teeth as she landed, pain radiating out from her leg.

Simmons stepped over from her place beside a lab bench. "You need to stay here, May. Coulson and the others will do everything they can to help Kit. At least let me have a quick look and make sure your wound really is just a graze."

May grumbled but eased herself back on the table with a sigh. "Fine," May agreed. "But while you're checking, I'm calling the incident into HQ."

"And I'm going to see if I can fix the lights. We all need to do whatever we can to help Kit," Fitz said, making his way toward the door.

0-0-0

Coulson's heart thumped as he sprinted down the hall, no longer concerned with making noise.

Kit.

Her name was running through his mind in rapid succession. Kit who had been through this whole ordeal alone. Kit who he hoped with every fiber of his being was still on this plane. Kit who he'd failed to protect, just like he'd failed to protect Audrey.

Behind him he heard Skye and Wards, their footsteps growing closer as their strides finally caught up and fell in step with his.

They neared Kit's bunk and his hands collided with the lock code on the wall, fingers fumbling around the buttons until the doors split apart. His breath caught in his throat at the sight before him, heart deflating. He squinted in the darkness.

Kit was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

Coulson's eyes scanned the room, scrutinizing each detail. Just as he crossed the threshold, the lights flickered back on, bathing the room in a startling, artificial light. His sight was immediately drawn to the two bodies on the floor, their gray uniforms revealed that they were the remaining Hydra agents who had gone missing.

The hollow ache that'd twisted in Coulson's heart gave way to confusion, his brows pulling tight in a mix of worry and curiosity.

Short seconds of silence stretched tense through the air. Behind him, Skye and Ward breathed softly. Coulson swallowed and took a step forward to examine the bodies. His shoes thumped on the floor, the sound growing closer to the small bed with its polka dotted sheets and fuzzy blue blanket, pillows piled in the corner, all in disarray. Everything about the scene made Coulson's heart ache.

He took another step forward, this time his foot landing on broken glass, crunching loudly beneath him and he realized with a pang in his chest that the shards were from a picture frame that had sat on Kit's desk, inside there had been a picture of the little girl and her mom. Ward and Skye stepped behind him, their footsteps adding to the rustle of noise.

Coulson was walking, trying desperately to piece together what had occurred when his knee knocked a chair, causing it to clang against the desk and then his head snapped upward at the sound that followed.

A whimper.

A whimper that was coming from the inconspicuous pile of pillows on the bed.

Then, a sniffle, and a horrible sob that was both the best and worst sound Coulson had ever heard.

For a moment he was stunned, and then his body leapt into action before his mind could finish processing everything. One second he was still, the next he was moving toward the mass of sheets and blankets on the bed, his mind screaming 'Kit' and his heart swelling with hope.

"Kit," he called, voice steadier than he'd anticipated.

He reached the bed, tossing away pillows and blankets with Ward and Skye at his side, helping pull away the barricade. Next to him, Skye stumbled backward for a moment, bringing a hand to her nose. When she pulled it back, blood coated her knuckles. Coulson glanced at her with worry, fighting oncoming dizziness. He looked at Skye and Ward. "Go," he said softly before turning back to bed as a paling Ward helped Skye out of the room.

Suddenly, Kit's voice peeked out clearly from beneath the last blanket. "No, no, no, no, no. Please don't hurt me. Please," she sobbed over and over again. Her body was pressed into the corner as far as she could go, arms wrapped around knees pulled tightly against her chest. Her entire frame shook, her head buried against her legs, curling into herself.

"Kit," he tried, peeling off the final blanket she'd hidden under.

"Please, no!" she cried again.

He gently laid a hand on the small child's shoulder, ignoring a growing pressure in his head and tingling across his body. Kit shrunk back impossibly further.

"Kit, it's me. It's Coulson. You're safe now."

She focused on his voice, daring to look up.

The second her eyes confirmed his presence, Kit untangled her body from its position and flung herself into his arms.

Instantly, the physical pain he'd been feeling dissipated. In its place grew something deeper and arguably worse. Longing and guilt ached in his chest.

"Coulson," she cried, her skinny, little limbs wrapping around him.

"Oh, Kit," he whispered, her arms clung around his shoulders and neck with a surprisingly strong grip considering the weakness that seemed to rack the rest of her body. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Are you hurt?"

Kit shook her head against his neck, her warm tears spilling onto his skin. She hiccupped and gasped for breath between violent sobs, shoulders heaving. Her head tilted upward slightly and she caught sight of the Hydra men. The scene sent her spiraling over the edge.

Her breathing quickened, growing faster and faster until Kit was worked into a full panic. She pushed her face back against Coulson's shoulder, her skin hot and clammy against him.

"Let's get out of here," Coulson said.

He paused outside the door for a minute, glancing at Ward and Skye. Before he could say anything, Skye stood up. "Is she okay?"

Coulson shrugged, unsure of how to respond, the depth of the situation feeling too large. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, whatever happened in there was weird, but it ended when we left the room. Go take care of Kit, she needs you," Skye whispered, her words drifting past Kit, the small girl too shaken up to process anything beyond the weight of emotions that pressed down on her.

Coulson nodded. "Thank you. Can you two handle the Hydra agents?"

Once he received a reply, Coulson continued walking, pacing through the halls, not sure where to take Kit. He struggled to find a place that would be comfortable without triggering more panic. The fabric of his shirt was clenched tightly between her fingers. He looked at her as he moved. "I've got you, Kit. You're safe now. Everyone's okay. Skye and Ward are taking care of your room and the Bus. May got a little scratched up but Simmons is going to make sure she's all right. Fitz is probably back in the lab by now. And you're with me. Everyone's going to be okay. We're all going to be okay."

A few seconds later, Coulson's feet carried them to his bunk. It was quiet and untouched by Hydra, as well as familiar to Kit.

He went to set her on the edge of his bed, hoping that some space might help her calm down. Instead, the moment Kit felt his grip loosening, she pulled her arms tighter, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Don't leave me," she cried.

Coulson bit back a sigh, his heart breaking at Kit's incessant tears.

He lowered himself into a sitting position, this time being sure to keep her firmly in his arms, rubbing soft circles on her back. He gently kissed the top of her head. "I want you to listen to me, okay, Kit? I'm never going to leave you. Not ever."

A deep breath inflated and deflated her chest, and he could see pain flash across her face as she tried to gain control of her emotions. Her teary brown eyes locked onto his.

"Mommy did," she finally said, a sob catching in her throat.

Immediately she hung her head, suddenly avoiding eye contact. In their close proximity he could feel each individual tremble of her body, shaking as rivers of tears spilled down her cheeks. Each quiver threatened to unravel him, his threads of composure fraying every time she let out a whimper or fidgeted nervously, embarrassed by her own confession. And worst of all, he had no idea how to make it better.

Sure, he could hold her and talk to her, but he'd already failed to keep her safe and that tore through him, leaving jagged edges of worry and self-doubt, and sending guilt pulsing through his veins.

He would give her anything in the world, but he couldn't give her the one thing she needed most: her mom.

The best he could do was give her the truth.

"Kit, I need you to look at me," he said, gently tilting her chin up.

When she met his eyes he continued, "I knew your mom, and I know that she would have done everything in her power to stay with you. Your mom loved you so much, Kit. And she's still a part of you, okay? Right there in your big heart and that brilliant mind."

Kit nodded and Coulson gently wiped off the remaining tears on her cheeks. "I love you, Kit," he said, his voice barely beyond a whisper, the words slipping out before he could think them through. He couldn't pinpoint a moment in the few weeks she'd been there that he realized it, that he loved this child like his own. Maybe it was when he first saw her, quivering and vulnerable and soaked, or the time she'd fallen asleep on his lap one night after dinner, or the day he'd been gone for a meeting and returned to a picture for him that Kit had drawn with Skye.

The small child looked up at Coulson, noticing for the first time that she hadn't heard those words since Audrey died. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed them.

A new set of tears pooled in her eyes and she curled up against him. This time her cries were silent as leaned into the embrace, one hand clutching his shirt, the other on top of her mom's ring, hanging beneath her pajamas.

She sniffled and took a long, shaky breath. "I was scared today."

"I know, and I'm so sorry. But you were also very brave."

"They l-looked like the bad guys who k-killed my Mommy and I thought, I thought…" she trailed off, bottom lip trembling as she shook her head.

"It's okay." His hand stroked her hair gently. "You don't have to talk about it now. We can wait until you're ready," Coulson said, although his mind was spinning, trying to string together a chain of events that explained what happened in Kit's bunk.

That's when it clicked.

The abnormal cell results. The mysterious lack of consciousness in the Hydra agents. The sick feeling, the dizziness, the weakness that occurred when they'd looked for Kit in her bunk…

"Coulson?" she asked softly.

He shifted his gaze back down to her, half his mind still racing, revolving around Hydra and tests and autopsies and how in some way it all led to Kit. The other half of his brain was aching to make Kit better, to undo the pain and hesitation and shyness that stained her words.

"I don't feel good," Kit said, rubbing her eyes.

"Should we go see Simmons?" Coulson asked.

He stood once Kit nodded weakly, but she remained firm on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?" Coulson asked, hating that his question had far too many answers.

It was silent for a second before she spoke quietly. "Can it just be us? And Jemma?" she paused for a moment. "My head is… busy… and loud."

"Overwhelmed?" he offered.

Kit nodded, all little more enthusiastically than before, relieved to put a name to the cluster of things she was feeling. "…and I'm still kind of scared," she added, cheeks pink with embarrassment.

"It's okay to be scared. I get scared sometimes too."

"You do?" Kit asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I do. I was scared today, when I didn't know where you were or if you were okay."

The mention of the incident made tears pool in Kit's eyes again and she quickly pushed them away before reaching out for Coulson.

Gathering Kit in his arms, he turned around and made his way down the hall. "It's okay to cry. I bet Simmons could give you a lot of reasons why it's scientifically beneficial, but I just know that it helps sometimes," he told her, gently rubbing her back and doing his best to give her a comforting smile.

She gave a wobbly smile in return. He could tell it was forced but let it pass, deciding instead to pull Kit closer.

"Coulson?" she said a minute late, her voice soft and sleepy as she replayed their earlier conversation.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too," she mumbled, laying her head against his shoulder and stretching to slip her hand into his as they approached the lab.


	11. Chapter 11

"You poor thing," Simmons cooed softly, running a gentle hand over Kit's hair, brushing a few loose strands off the little girl's face.

Kit stirred faintly, eyes opening languidly as she blinked up at Simmons.

"Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?" the biochemist asked, being sure to keep her voice quiet and soothing.

"Better," Kit murmured and pulled the blanket surrounding her closer. " 'm tired."

"I'm sure you are," Simmons said, sighing sympathetically as she placed a hand on Kit's shoulder.

"Your temperature is still elevated. Do your head and stomach still hurt?"

Kit nodded, a small pout pulling at her lips. She shuffled around a bit, reaching out.

She didn't want Dr. Simmons right now, she wanted Jemma.

Sensing Kit's need for closeness, Simmons put down her clipboard beside the medical bed. The thin mattress dipped slightly as Simmons took a seat beside Kit. The little girl slipped from beneath the sheets and crawled into Jemma's lap, feeling clingy and desperate for contact.

"I'm glad you're safe, Kit," Simmons said, tracing soothing circles on Kit's back. She curled against Simmons, laying her head on the older girl's shoulder.

"Me too," Kit whispered, fingers playing with a button on Jemma's lab coat. "Is Coulson still on the phone?" she asked. An hour ago, at around six in the evening, Coulson had received an urgent (and frustrated) call from Fury. Reluctantly, Coulson had left the room—unable to get out of the conversation and not wanting Kit to hear what they were discussing.

Kit had been nervous at first, her anxiety inducing tears of protest, and while it'd made Coulson feel guilty, he knew Kit shouldn't hear some of the things he would be describing. It would be better in the long run. Plus, Kit needed to know that she could still trust the team, and since she'd been willing to see Jemma earlier, Coulson decided she was a good place to start.

Simmons nodded in response to Kit's earlier question. "They've been talking for a while now, but Skye should be here soon to see you. She's been quite worried. You're still up for visitors, right? "

"Yeah," Kit said softly, nestling into Simmons as the young woman gently stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry you're not feeling well."

Kit shrugged, her little shoulders rising and falling against Simmons. " 's okay."

Simmons hugged Kit closer. "We'll have you feeling better soon. Once you're up to it, I know Fitz has a new science experiment he'd love to do with you. He wanted to come see you, but he's stuck going over some mechanics to make sure the Bus is okay."

A small nod came from Kit, the corners of her lips flickering upward weakly. The emptiness of her smile made Simmons' heart twist painfully.

"It's okay if you're not fine," Simmons said and Kit tucked her head beneath Simmons' chin. She dropped her fingers from Simmons' lab coat, her hand searching for the scientist's.

Kit shook her head, warm tears pooling in her eyes as Simmons softly took her hand. "No, it's not."

"Yes it is, Kit. There's nothing wrong with feeling sad and worried sometimes."

"For me, there is!" Kit said, pulling her hands out of Jemma's and violently pushing away the tears on her own cheeks. "You don't get it!"

"Then explain it to me," Simmons said calmly, loosening her grip around Kit's waist when she started to squirm.

"I can't!" Kit huffed and pushed herself off Simmons' lap. There were too many emotions swirling around in Kit's head and it felt like they were all pressing down on her and she couldn't breathe. _She couldn't breathe._

The room felt too big and she felt hot, like she wasn't herself and her whole body was working against her.

And she was scared. So scared and confused and nervous about how anything else was going to happen in her life. How was she going to live without Mommy?

It was as though all of her concerns were crashing back down on her again.

She couldn't keep falling apart. They might get annoyed and make her go. Coulson had said he'd loved her, but Mommy had said that too, and she still had to leave. Then what? The bad men would take her. That's what would happen.

Bad things always happened when she wasn't okay.

There was so much more, so many other reasons whirling in her head, each a fleeting, terrifying thought just out of reach. She felt anxious and on edge, like she was one second away from snapping.

"I have to be okay. I _hav_ e to," she repeated, the phrase looping between her lips as she paced. Her steps quickened, lungs heaving, working herself up even further in her attempts to calm down.

"You'll be okay, Kit. It just takes time. You'll get there."

"I'm not okay, though. I'm not," Kit said frantically, more so to herself than to Simmons, gaze trained on the ground.

The little girl was so focused on staring at her feet as she walked, on trying to pull herself back together that she didn't even look up when Skye entered the room, the door opening and closing quietly.

Simmons shot Skye a concerned look and tilted her head toward Kit.

"What's wrong?" Skye whispered to the biochemist.

"She's breaking down, Skye. I don't know how to make her feel better. She's feeling so much pressure." Simmons bit her lip, worry radiating off her expression.

Skye nodded before walking over to Kit, kneeling in front of her. "Hey, Kit Kat. How're you doing?"

"I'm not okay," she mumbled, shaking her head. "I'm not."

"That's fine, it's normal. We'll fix it together. You don't have to do this alone."

"That's what nobody understands! I am alone! I'm all by myself and my Mommy's gone and bad people are looking for me and I'm not okay and… and..." Her voice disappeared as she hyperventilated, words and tears all caught in her throat making it impossible to finish her sentence.

"Kit Kat, honey, you've got to stop working yourself up. You're sick and you're going to hurt yourself. Just slow down, take a deep breath. You're going to be okay," Skye said, reaching out to hug Kit.

"No," Kit yelled, pushing Skye's hands away. She receded, her back slamming into the corner of the room before she sunk to the ground, a sob deflating her frame. She covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to muffle her cries, her voice cracking as said, "I'm never going to be okay. It's never going to happen."

Kit didn't know what she was doing. It felt like there was water filling her lungs, water covering her head. It felt like every part of her was breaking. It felt like she was drowning.

She didn't want to be here. She wanted her mom.

"Kit, let me help you. Let us all help you."

Kit couldn't help what she was saying, she wasn't thinking. She couldn't. Not when it felt like she was being squeezed between two walls. "I don't want your help!" she sobbed, squeezing her fists together, nails cutting into her skin. "I want my mom. I don't like you or anyone here. You're lying and you're… you're mean and I- I hate you and I hate this place and I don't want to be here…"

Skye blinked and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, stunned for a moment before blinking away tears as Kit's words.

"Skye," Simmons said, standing up from the bed and putting a hand on Skye's shoulder. "She's upset, she doesn't mean it."

"Yes, I do," Kit said, pushing herself off the floor. "I hate everything about this place!" she yelled, running to the door and yanking on the handle.

The door slid open and Kit took off through it, crashing into Ward not two feet beyond the threshold. She hit the ground with a soft thud and scrambled to stand up, avoiding eye contact.

Ward picked her up gently, despite her screams. She pounded his chest with tired fists, squirming and doing whatever she could to get out of his arms, but Ward was strong and kept her firmly in his grasp.

"Kit, I'm taking you to Coulson to see if he can help you feel better. You can calm down and make this trip easier, or you can fight, but you're going there either way," Ward said as he carried her toward the agent's office.

As they neared the room, the door opened and May limped out, Coulson following directly behind her. Kit was still flailing in Ward's arms, coughing and sobbing and trying to push herself away.

A look of horror flashed across Coulson's face and May's expression remained neutral. His eyes drifted between Ward and Kit, unsure of whom to address first.

"What's going on?"

Kit paused for a moment at the sound of his voice, turning away from Ward to look at Coulson. She sobbed harder, thrashing further until Ward finally relented and put her down. With a quick glance through the hall, she made a move to sprint down it, but her feet were unsteady and she felt so tired that Coulson had her swept up in his arms before she could finish her second step.

She yelled some more, words convoluted by tears. Coulson quickly thanked Ward and let him go before focusing on Kit.

The sudden change in her demeanor was shocking, yet something he'd expected to arise eventually.

Maybe it was the stress of the previous night's events, making everything come down on her, but Kit was cracking, falling apart in front of him.

And while he'd foreseen some kind of ensuing breakdown he'd never imagined one so sudden and so intense, never one with Kit screaming so desperately and fighting so violently.

He'd carried her into his bunk, half expecting May to leave but at the same time, not at all surprised when she followed, her usual calm expression colored with concern.

He set Kit on the bed then took a few steps back, giving her some space. She immediately pulled her legs up against her stomach and pressed the palms off her hands against her eyes.

A muffled whimper of "Mommy" filled the silence and Kit curled further into herself.

She didn't feel good and she just wanted Audrey. Not Simmons or Skye or Coulson or anyone else.

Coulson felt his heart shattering. Acting on impulse, he moved toward Kit, willing to do whatever it took to comfort Kit and remind her that she wasn't alone.

However, when he got closer, laying a hand on her shoulder, she yelled into her knees. "I want my mom. I don't want you."

The sound was distorted but her message was clear, striking Coulson in the stomach with guilt and rejection.

May approached him gently from behind, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Phil, you should give her some space. Go take a break, fill the rest of the team in on the plan and see how they're doing. I'll stay with Kit."

Coulson swallowed his hurt and nodded, whispering an 'okay' and slipping out of the room quietly, deciding that he'd already upset Kit enough.

At the sound of the door clicking shut, Kit's head lifted, eyes immediately noting Coulson's absence.

Her stomach twisted, her heart dropped. She'd managed to be so bad that someone else who loved her left. In that moment, Kit felt as though she might have been the most horrible person alive.

Before she could decide what to do, the sound of May's voice drew her attention.

"Coulson left because we thought it would be better to give you some space. He'll be back when you're ready. He's not leaving you."

The knot in Kit's stomach loosened a bit, but she couldn't stop the reeling in the head, the uncertainty that gripped every aspect of her life. She couldn't stop shaking her hands, slapping them against her leg, nervous energy spilling over.

That was May's cue to intervene. She swooped in, sitting next to Kit and gently pulling the small girl's hands away from herself, giving them a soft squeeze and kissing them lightly. Catching Kit's eyes she said, "I won't let you hurt yourself."

Kit nodded slowly, allowing herself to relax slightly and uncurl her fingers in May's hands.

"What happened here?" May asked, softly touching small crescent shaped indents on Kit's palm.

"I tried really hard not to panic or get scared, so I tried—I tried to keep everything in, but I couldn't do it," Kit admitted, showing May how tightly she'd squeezed her hands together, so tightly that her nails had dug into her skin.

"Oh, Kit," May breathed softly. The little girl had tried so hard to fight her world falling apart, to keep herself in one neat, strong piece. "I'm sorry if we didn't make you feel comfortable enough to talk before things got so bad, or teach you different ways to handle everything you're feeling. We'll start working on it, okay?"

Kit nodded again. Without anyone to fight, anything to distract her, Kit's anger had drizzled out quickly, leaving her drained and tired, grief stricken and guilty.

"You can let it out, Kit. Everything. You can say whatever you want, I won't get mad."

She sniffled softly; sad, stormy eyes studying May. Something about the older woman's gaze flipped a switch inside Kit, concerns and frustrations pouring out as she spoke. It was as though she couldn't stop the words.

May listened intently, holding Kit tighter as each confession slipped from little, pink lips pulled downward in what May hoped would never become a prolonged frown.

At some point in time, May had opened her arms and at the first indication of welcome, Kit had scampered onto May's uninjured leg, gradually leaning back on her chest.

Minutes of speaking passed before silence pulled between them and Kit paused midsentence, taking a deep breath and fidgeting with the hem of May's jacket.

''I wanna go home," Kit murmured against the agent, her voice cracking.

"For your sake, I wish you could, too," May said, brushing some hair behind Kit's ear. "As much as I love you and love having you here, I'm so sorry about the circumstances and I'm so sorry you're scared and unhappy. I'd do anything to change that, even if it meant letting you go. We can find a way to remind you of your mom and keep you close to her. We're going to work through this together. You're not alone, no matter how much it feels that way."

Kit sniffled. "I love you and I love Coulson and Skye and Jemma and Fitz and Ward, even though Skye says he's a robot. But I still love my mom."

"And that's perfectly okay," May said. "You'll love your mom forever."

Kit nodded, eyes drooping as she burrowed further against May.

"Come on," May said, patting Kit's back lightly. "Let's get you to bed."

No verbal response came from Kit, instead, she rested her head on May's shoulder as her breathing began evening out.

A small smile pulled up the corners of May's lips. "Are you okay in your bedroom?"

The thought of going to her bunk made Kit's stomach hurt even more. Heat flushed her cheeks and her throat felt tight. A frown flashed across her face before she assumed a neutral expression, just as May looked down to catch her eye.

Kit fought a yawn as her mind flicked through the day's events. Ignoring the feeling in her stomach and the way her heartbeat had quickened, she finally replied with a soft 'yes' and managed to fall asleep on their way over.

0-0-0

She couldn't breathe. That was the first thing she noticed when she woke up. The room was dark and the sheets were tangled around her and she couldn't breathe.

She couldn't breathe because there were too many tears streaming down her cheeks, her shoulders heaving, her body shaking.

A second ago she could have sworn the bad men were back in her room, storming through the door and trying to take her.

Kit leapt out of bed and sprinted to the door. Her finger froze over the button to open it, hovering for a second before dropping. She'd trapped herself in seclusion which her thoughtless, harsh words. Everyone definitely hated her. There was no way she could stay. No way they could ever forgive her.

But she was so scared, she had to get out.

With a quick movement she turned on the lights, flooding the room in a dim, gold glow. Even though Kit had proven to herself that the bad men weren't there, she couldn't shake the feeling that they could burst in at any moment.

Leaving. That was her only option.

She shuffled underneath her bed and pulled out the backpack she generally used for school. Yanking the zippers, she tugged the backpack open and frantically filled it with clothes, her elephant named Eliza, her favorite books and the picture from the frame that had broken the previous day.

After pulling on a jacket she was crying so hard that her vision was blurred, clouded with tears as she approached the door, eyes sweeping across the room when something made her stop and turn back around.

Kit pressed up against her toes, stretching to grab a picture from the back of her dresser. Her trembling fingers clasped around a second picture. She pulled her hand away, her arm knocking a glass cup. It shattered against the floor and a yelp escaped Kit's lips.

Succeeding multiple attempts, Kit managed to tuck the photo carefully beside the picture of her and Audrey, safe inside her coat pocket. Still spooked by the breaking glass and nightmare, she sprinted to the door once her pictures were secure.

Shadowy light illuminated Kit as she slipped into the hall. Her footsteps echoes quietly. Each dark figure or noise sent her flinching and jumping, her heart thundering. She shoved away tears and kept her head down. The dark was disorienting, worsening her panicked state and before Kit knew it, she wasn't sure which way she way going.

She turned a corner, bumping against a wall and holding her breath. Within a second, bright light filled the room. Kit slowly lifted her head, eyes settling on May as her heart dropped.

"What are you doing up?" May asked, on her way back from the cockpit.

Kit sniffled and tried to stop crying. "I'm running away," she answered, defiance coloring her words, but May didn't miss the undertone of fear and hesitation. Kit bit her lip, her heart hanging in suspense, despite her denial, she couldn't help wondering if May would let her leave.

The older woman knelt down so she was eyelevel with Kit. "I can't make you stay, we can't make you do anything, but if you left everyone would miss you so much, Kit. We only want what's best for you and we want to keep you safe and loved and happy."

The nervous feeling in Kit's stomach eased just a bit.

"Why do you want to run away? I bet we can fix it."

The little girl's quick responded betrayed her attempts to stay mad. "Because everyone hates me. Nobody would miss me. It'd be easier with me gone," Kit responded, voice losing its fire, eyes suddenly interested in studying her shoes.

"That's not true," May said and gently lifted Kit's chin. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"I did something bad," Kit said and immediately dropped her head, salty tears dripping from the tip of her nose.

May remained silent, waiting for Kit to continue on her own.

"I'm bad," Kit said, more tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm a bad kid."

"No." May stepped forward and squeezed Kit closer, rubbing the girl's back. "No, Kit. You're not bad at all. Why would you think that?"

"Because bad things keep happening to me and everyone around me and… I said mean things to Skye and to Jemma and Coulson. And..." Kit sucked in a deep breath, trying to stop crying. "Everything's my fault. Mommy's gone and it's because of me. Why did she leave?"

"Shh, Kit," May said, stroking Kit's hair soothingly. "It's not your fault. Your mom did not want to leave. You're good, Kit. You're so, so good. I don't ever want you to think you're bad."

"But I do bad things!" Kit said, wiping tears off her face furiously. "I get mad sometimes and I don't always mean to but I push people or say things that aren't nice. I'm bad, and that's why everyone leaves."

"We're not going anywhere, Kit. I'm right here; Coulson, Skye, Simmons, Fitz, Ward, they're just down the hall or a few rooms over. We're all going to do everything in our power to stay with you, okay? Doing bad things doesn't make you a bad person, Kit. Everyone does bad things sometimes. You are not the reason bad things happen."

"Then why do the bad people keep trying to get me? Why did I stay alive when Mommy h-had to die?" Kit asked as sobs shook her frame, her prior frustration having melted away long ago, leaving its root of confusion and grief.

"I don't know, Kit. Sometimes things just happen and we don't know why they do. You've been so brave and so strong and so good about everything, and I'm so sorry for what you've been through."

"I don't wanna be brave anymore," Kit said and May could feel her physically deflate. "I just want my mom."

"I know," May said, gently running her fingers across Kit's back.

"May?" Kit asked after a moment of silence, waiting to make eye contact before continuing. "Do they hate me?"

"Whom?"

"Skye and Jemma and Coulson… Ward, too? Do they hate me?"

"No. Not at all, Kit. They're just sad because they care about you and love you, and when someone you love says something that hurts your feelings, it hurts extra bad. The way you acted wasn't nice or acceptable, but it's okay to feel the way you did. We'll work on some techniques to help you feel better and handle everything that goes on in your head, okay?"

Kit nodded, she'd been so anxious about telling May what she'd said that she was overcome with relief and gratitude, suddenly flinging her arms around May's neck. "Thank you f-for not letting me le-leave."

"Anytime," May said, standing up and taking Kit's hand firmly in her own. "You've always got us here."

May invited Kit to stay in her bunk and Kit happily followed. At the little girl's suggestion, they stopped by Kit's room to grab markers and paper, dropping off her backpack and picking up Kit's favorite blanket while they were there.

Once they were in May's bunk, the agent helped Kit make 'sorry' cards for everyone. After half an hour of working, Kit leaned back, admiring their work.

"Do you think they'll like them?" Kit asked, playing with her fingers nervously.

"I think they'll love them," May answered. "You did well."

Kit smiled. The first genuine smile May had seen in a while.

"Can we give it to them now?"

May laughed softly. "No, it's too late. If you don't get enough sleep, we'll both be in trouble with Simmons."

A huff fell from Kit's lips. "All right."

"Tomorrow morning we can wake up early and leave them around the Bus for everyone, so it's the first thing they see when they get up."

"Okay," Kit said, watching as May slipped into her bed and lifted up the covers, offering them to Kit.

"Coming?"

Kit smiled and climbed onto the bed. May was soft and warm and strong, and it reminded Kit of Mommy. With May by her side, Kit wasn't scared of the bad men.

A few hours later, however, Kit discovered sleep was still a hopeless endeavor. In the dark, alone without distraction, insecurity continued to gnaw on her wellbeing until she couldn't take it anymore.

Kit slid out of bed and tucked the sheets back around May before grabbing the 'sorry' cards from where they were stacked. She wrapped her blanket tightly around herself so it fell down her back like a cape and clutched Eliza, her elephant before sneaking out of the door.

Kit was immediately drawn to Skye's room, realizing that she'd said the worst to the former hacker. The small girl leaned back against the door and slowly sunk to the ground. She imagined Skye on the other side and hoped with all her heart that Skye wouldn't be mad at her.

A shiver shook Kit's body and she pulled the blue blanket tighter around herself, taking the pictures out of her pocket and studying them. She looked at the first one of her and Audrey before tucking it behind the new one. She had been in the lab with FitzSimmons and was sitting on Skye's lap, sitting up to pour the last chemical into their fizzing substance, with FitzSimmons cheering her on. Coulson had taken it when none of them were looking and Skye had insisted on getting it printed and she'd made sure a copy had ended up in Kit's room.

Kit traced the picture before pulling out the first one and holding them side by side. She curled up against Skye's door and fought sleep as her eyes closed.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Special thanks to both guests who reviewed, I really appreciate it!

* * *

Between the overlap of shadows in a dark and dank room, two figures loomed in the Hydra base, voices hushed, words hasty.

"You're telling me that the girl and a thrown together, mess of a Shield team took down our whole infiltration unit?" the main agent asked, his voice curt and sharp, slitting through the humid air.

"Yes, sir. We lost contact with each agent within an hour of their invasion on the plane."

"And still no word?"

"The devices implanted by our scientists no longer relay signs of life, they're either dead or close to it. They have no more value."

Agent Morton scowled at the floor and shook his head before glaring back at his assistant. "What are the results on our other test subjects?"

"No one's enhancements have manifested the way Subject 21's have, but that's all I know. I haven't been permitted to read the rest of the subject's file. We need to get her."

"We will," Agent Morton promised, turning and moving down the hall. He paused and stared at the other man. "We're moving, now. We have work to do."

The second agent swiftly fell into step beside Agent Morton. "What is it, exactly, that we did to her?"

The larger agent rolled his eyes. "We lost contact when Subject 20 died and Shield stepped in. We don't have data on how powerful she is or what she can do. I'll keep it brief, though, if things have gone accordingly, she could have killed every single one of those agents we sent… in a matter of seconds."

"You're saying it worked. She has…"

0-0-0

Powers.

Coulson woke up with the word on his lips and the thought a hurricane in his head.

Powers. Or maybe not powers exactly, but some kind of enhancement. Something that made her work differently, that allowed her to survive an attack of two Hydra agents and render them unconscious on the floor, barely breathing.

He needed to talk this out. He needed as much information as possible. Bloodwork, medical tests, information on Audrey. He needed Simmons.

Coulson slipped out of bed, changing quickly before heading down to the lab. It was early, just past four in the morning, but at least he could get a head start; pull a few files, sort through some records. Despite the fact that it might make FitzSimmons uncomfortable, having him in the lab unsupervised, Coulson couldn't help it.

He needed answers and he needed them quickly.

Bright light was spilling out of the lab as Coulson descended the stairs. Through the glass, he could make out two figures gazing at a computer screen. Coulson knocked softly before entering the room.

"Coulson," Simmons said, turning in her seat to face him.

"Simmons, Fitz, what are you guys doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Fitz began and Simmons followed, "We got to talking about what happened with Kit and Hydra and concluded that there must be something we can derive from her bloodwork or the numerous tests we performed."

Simmons turned the screen toward Coulson and he took a step forward.

"You know the vibrations I mentioned a little while ago? The ones emitted from Kit's cells?"

Coulson nodded and Simmons continued. "Well, we've been looking at the data, going over everything's that's occurred, when suddenly it made sense."

"Powers?" Coulson tried.

"I was going for 'genetically enhanced,' 'cell mutation,' perhaps, but essentially, yes."

"Do you think it could have happened from the device Hydra implanted in Audrey? All the chemicals?"

"Pretty sure, actually," Fitz said, answering this time. "It's logical, for sure."

"So, Kit… she can do what, exactly?"

"I believe she can emit some kind of vibrations, wavelengths of a sort that can biologically manipulate living beings…"

"Likely triggered by intense emotions, suggesting that the powers may be stimulated by hormones."

"Wow, okay," Coulson said, running a hand over his hair. "So when Kit gets upset or scared, she can affect people's bodies or health?"

Both scientists nodded. "I think our next step would be to talk with the Hydra agents we have in holding, see what happened, what they remember from the incident?" Simmons suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, you two." Coulson said with a nod and headed quickly to the door. He paused for a minute and turned around. "What does this mean for Kit? Will she be okay?"

"In regards to Kit's illness yesterday, it appears as though the biological manipulation of others puts strain on Kit's body, making her feel unwell, fatigued, weak; however, I'm optimistic that with enough information and research, we can figure whatever's best for Kit and keep her safe."

"Okay, thanks again, both of you. Try and go catch some sleep," he said with a small smile. "You've done well. I'll keep you updated on what I learn from the Hydra agents."

"Thanks, Sir," they said at the same time, making Coulson's smile grow a little wider as he exited the lab. At least they were getting somewhere.

0-0-0

Skye woke up early that morning, anxiety and concern blocking her from sleeping any further.

Kit's outburst from the previous day had been startling to say the least. Skye had quickly gotten over the initial sting of Kit's word and in its wake came worry for the little girl. Worry that they'd never be able to provide her the love, safety and stability that she needed. That maybe Skye had messed things up between herself and Kit, or that Kit was really never going to recover emotionally.

Then, there was the immediate situation. Kit had frequent nightmares and could be having one alone, right now. Or Kit could be having trouble sleeping too sad or scared to close her eyes. Or she could be confused and crying all by herself with no one to reassure her.

Kit had tried to act like she didn't need someone to comfort her, but it was that alone, which exposed the extent of Kit's hurting and how much she actually needed support. Skye knew what lashing out meant in a lot kids, especially in those who were scared and sweet and going through so much more than they deserved.

The weight of each concern pressed on Skye, growing heavier and vaster until she tossed off the sheets with a huff and decided she'd take control of the situation and just check on Kit herself.

She stumbled upward, vision bleary as she tugged a hand through her hair, smoothing out some knots. Her phone's clock read 4:43 and she sighed, rubbing her face with a tired hand.

Moving through the darkness, she reached the door and opened it. As she shuffled forward, her foot collided softly with a small figure. Breath caught in her throat as she squinted through the lack of lighting.

"Kit?" she asked after a stretch of silence, immediately kneeling to the ground.

The small mass of a blanket shifted a bit before Kit's head appeared and she rubbed her eyes with loose fists. "Skye?"

"Yeah, it's me; it's Skye. Are you okay?"

Kit nodded.

"What are you doing out here?"

A shrug tugged on Kit's posture and she practically collapsed in on herself, shoulders slumped, head hanging.

"I'm sorry," she said, standing and letting the blue fabric of her blanket pool around her feet, voice cracking as tears pooled in her eyes.

Without thought, Skye leaned forward and pulled Kit into her arms. She hugged her tightly and stood up.

"I didn't mean to… I didn't mean any of it," Kit muttered against Skye as the older girl bounced her.

"Shh, Kit. It's okay. Everything's okay. I'm not mad."

"I missed you," Kit said and tangled her fingers in Skye's hair.

"I missed you, too," Skye said, hugging Kit firmly. "How long have you been out here?"

The little girl shrugged.

"You wanna try and catch a few more hours of sleep?"

Kit just wanted to be close to Skye, secure and safe and held tightly in her arms. She shook her head. Sleeping meant going away and forgetting, right now she clung to Skye, wanting to be aware of this moment.

"Okay, we'll come up with something else. What do you want to do?"

Kit wiggled out of Skye's arms to grab her stuff from the floor, providing Skye with the card. "I made this for you. May helped."

Skye read it and smiled, pulling Kit into another hug.

"Kit, I'm never going to be mad at you," Skye whispered as Kit cuddled closer to her.

"I don't hate you. Not at all," Kit said softly. "You're… you're one of my favorite people in the whole world."

"You're one of my favorite people in the whole world, too, Kit, and definitely one of the bravest and smartest and sweetest. I want you to know that I'd do anything to help you be happy, okay?"

Kit nodded and sniffled slightly, tears threatening to fall again. She didn't know what she felt. Her throat was tight and her stomach hurt again. Something ached in chest, deep rooted sadness and the rays of optimism that were breaking through, relief and guilt swelling at the same time.

A tear slipped over Kit's cheek and she hung her head.

Skye reached forward, tilting Kit's chin upward gently, two sad eyes blinked back at her. The older girl softly wiped the tears off Kit's cheeks. "Sorry," the small child said quietly. "I was mean to you and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, no more apologizing, all right? That all happened yesterday, Kit Kat. I forgive you one hundred percent, I was never mad."

"Okay," she answered, mumbling through a yawn and burrowing her face against Skye's neck.

"You sure you're not tired?" The older girl asked, rubbing Kit's back.

Kit nodded again, but closed her eyes and laid her head against Skye's shoulder. "Maybe a little," she said after another moment.

Skye smiled softly, "Come on, then. Let's sleep for a bit."

"You'll stay with me?"

"Do you want me to?"

Kit shifted her weight and nodded shyly.

"Then I wouldn't want to be any other place."


	13. Chapter 13

"Come on, Kit. You can do it. We're about to land so Simmons is going to have to leave soon."

A deep breath filled Kit's lungs and she bit her lip.

"I'll be with you the whole time and you're going to make Jemma feel so much better, she's been really worried about you."

Kit nodded. "Okay," she said and followed Skye into the lab where Simmons was finalizing a few reports and packing up some of the samples she and Fitz had been testing.

The scientist immediately looked up, peering over a stack of reports.

"Hi, you two. Are you feeling any better, Kit?"

Another shy nod came from the little girl and she pulled behind Skye, standing behind the woman's legs and clutching her hand. Skye felt Kit's fingers twist nervously, a fidgeting that broke Skye's heart. Why couldn't Kit see how much they all cared about her? It was one step forward and two steps backward. Each time Kit seemed to be getting better, the world would throw something else in her way.

Skye knelt down and whispered to Kit, "Go on. You'll be okay." The older girl patted Kit's back, gently urging her forward until she finally inched out and shuffled to where Jemma was patiently sitting.

"I'm sorry," Kit said softly, her words clear despite the low volume. She handed Simmons her card, watching nervously as the biochemist read it.

After a moment, she looked up and at first Kit was afraid Simmons might cry, but instead she smiled and blinked away any moisture Kit might have seen. Within a second, Kit was wrapped in Simmons arms and the scientist was apologizing, too, even though Kit wasn't sure why.

"I shouldn't have pushed too hard and I should have protected you more," Simmons was saying, but it wasn't registering with Kit, happiness and relief were the only sentiments swirling in her head.

"It's okay," Kit said. If it were up to her everything would go back to being happy in an instant. She wasn't mad at all and she didn't feel so scared anymore, either. Kit leaned back to look Jemma in the eye, studying her face quickly before breaking into a grin.

"Are we good?" Simmons asked, hope coloring her words.

Kit nodded and hugged Simmons again, pressing her face against the scientist's stomach, so close that Jemma could feel Kit beaming as she hugged her closer.

Seconds passed in their silent embrace before both parties leaned back.

"Skye says we're going somewhere important."

Simmons nodded. "We are. It's called the Hub and it's a super-secret base."

"Really?" Kit asked, excitement ballooning in her voice.

"Yep," Skye answered, walking over to the pair. "And Jemma has tons of stuff to do before we get there, so how about we let her finish and then we can all do something later?"

"Okay," Kit said, smile growing at the thought of spending time with Skye and Simmons.

0-0-0

"We're here," May announced, emerging from the cockpit with Coulson following behind her.

"Awesome. Let's go," Skye said. She looked at Ward, Fitz, Simmons, and Kit. "You guys ready?"

They each nodded and stood up. Kit beamed at Coulson as she stood up, glad that she'd apologized earlier. Learning that he wasn't mad and had filled Kit with inexpressible relief.

Simmons looked a little uneasy as the group exited the plane.

"What's wrong, Jemma? You look like you're gonna faint," Skye teased gently, bumping Simmons' hip as they fell into step.

"Do you remember what happened the last time we were here?" Simmons asked, biting her lip.

Skye held back a laugh as the memory was drawn to the front of her mind. She disguised the laugh as a cough and attempted to stiffen her features.

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't _that_ bad."

"Don't worry?!" Simmons practically sputtered. "And not that bad?! Skye, I shot someone!"

"With an ICER. He was barely unconscious, Simmons. No actual harm was done. In fact, it was for a good cause. Image what would have happened to Ward and Fitz if we hadn't got all that information."

Simmons nodded. "I guess you're right. It w _as_ kind of fun to break the rules a bit."

"See! Jemma Simmons I always knew you were a badass."

Jemma laughed, blush fading slightly at the memory.

"Anyway, so many crazy things happen here, I bet hardly anyone remembers." Skye finished as they approached security, quickly getting approved before Maria Hill met them on the other side and swept the group away.

As they began to turn the corner, the Hydra agents were ushered off the Bus, the awkward movements are their bulky forms caught Kit's eye.

She paused, analyzing the scene acutely aware as her muscles tightened and her breathing increased. Kit struggled to move. Her eyes darted around, looking for Coulson, for Skye, for _someone._ But Coulson and May were too far up, close to the new, brown haired woman's sides. The three of them whispered in sharp, hushed voices, too low and far for Kit to make out their words.

Kit swallowed hard. The distance between her and the group was growing farther and farther until it seemed to stretch infinitely onward. She squinted through spinning, blurry vision for Skye.

Somewhere far ahead Skye and Jemma were talking, laughing softly. Beside them Ward and Fitz were shaking their heads but wearing small grins.

Tears started burning in her eyes. She was alone and the bad guys had been on the plane the whole time and now they were here. It didn't matter that they were wearing handcuffs or surrounded by Shield agents.

The Hydra agents were close. Close enough to fill her with new fear while simultaneously bringing back all of her prior worries and traumatic experiences.

Her teeth clenched the inside of her cheek. Hard. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't.

If Coulson was there she'd be okay.

She was fine.

She was okay.

She was—

Gone.

Coulson was gone. She was alone. The Hydra men were being led closer and she couldn't see anyone she knew anymore.

Since Audrey's death when these things happened, her panic was enough to miraculously stoop the bad men. Kit wasn't sure how or why it happened, but she liked to think it was Mommy protecting her. When it happened, Kit could feel it – buzzing form her core and radiating outward.

Now, however, she felt no vibrations. She felt tired. Anxious. Panicky. A bit sick still, but there was no weird little feeling that filled her when the bad guys were close and she was scared.

She was shaking, though. In a different, helpless kind of way. She'd managed to curb her tears, but she was frozen. Her heart was a metronome in her chest, set to a pace so quick, Kit was afraid she might pass out right there.

The noise of Hydra was growing closer and louder. Pounding in her head.

Shoulders heaving. Her breath rapid and ragged.

The room spun. Everything was fuzzier, dark, and brown. Her muscles ached tiredly. Cold filled her body.

The bad men got closer.

Black spots were impeding the corners of her vision when she slipped backward and a strong but gentle hand supported her shoulder, lowering her softly to a sitting position on the ground.

On the floor, she jumped back at the contact, her reaction late and weak.

Her vision was clouded by quick movements and for a moment she thought she was going to throw up. Instead, the fall seemed to startle some clarity back into her. Tall figures rushed by, looming over Kit, but she could still feel a presence behind her.

She sucked in a shaky deep breath.

"Hey, hey don't worry. You're okay," a voice said behind her. It was close and soft and likely belonged to the person who'd kept her from hitting the ground.

Silence passed and Kit squeezed her hands tightly before she focused on her breathing, way May had taught her the precious day.

"Take your time," the man said kindly.

When she had enough composure to breathe properly, Kit pressed her lips together and turned around.

Her eyes met a man kneeling behind her. She studied him, taking in warm, benevolent eyes, dark skin, and a gentle smile.

"I'm Trip," he said, his voice just as calm and welcoming as before.

She sniffled slightly, fighting to hold back tears and still her quivering hands. "I'm Kit," she responded, eyes latching onto his with a striking resilience.

Her name sounded familiar, pulling somewhere in his mind. "Are you okay, Kit?"

She nodded. The tile floor was cold on her hands as she helped herself up, feeling unsteady by desperate to find Coulson and embarrassed by her breakdown.

"Did you get lost?"

Another nod shook her head. "I need to find Coulson."

A wide smile spread across his face. That's why her name sounded so familiar. "No way, girl. I'm heading to a meeting with Coulson right now."

The corner of Kit's lips turned upward at Trip's enthusiasm. She liked him.

Trip stood up beside her. "I happen to know exactly where we need to be. You ready to rock 'n' roll?"

Kit felt a smile spreading across her face again as she answered, "Yeah."

The hallway had cleared out for the most part and that made Kit feel better as she followed Trip, sticking close to his side even though the Hydra men had long since left.

"Trip?" she said as they neared the end of their second hall.

"Yeah?"

"The bad guys that were on the plane – where are they going?"

Trip thought back to the prior minutes, the Hydra agents he's seen struggling against Shield agents. That must have been what had set Kit off. Trip had read through the reports last night, and while the details surrounding what happened exactly with Kit were fuzzy, it wasn't difficult to determine that they were potentially traumatic for the young girl.

"Some of the best security agents in the whole world are right here in this building and they're going to put the Hydra agents into a place that's a lot like a jail."

"So they can't hurt us anymore?"

"Exactly. Those guys are going to be locked away."

Kit nodded, softly whispering under her breath. "Are there more?"

"What was that?" Trip asked, pausing to hear her better.

"Are there—"

"Kit!" A voice called form down the hall.

Her head snapped over, a smile pulling at her lips as she recognized the sound immediately.

She rushed forward as Coulson appeared around the corner, calling her name again.

"Coulson!" she cried out, jumping into his open arms. He squeezed her closer, both of them hugging each other tightly, eyes shut.

"Sorry, Kit. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you got separated. I should have paid more attention."

Kit just shook her head against his neck. "It's okay. It's okay," she said.

She was so happy to be back with him. A sob of relief caught in her throat and she swallowed it away, burying her head against him.

Coulson rubbed her back and looked up at Trip, who was awkwardly trying to look engrossed with anything but the personal scene in front of him.

"Thank you, Agent Trip," Coulson said with a smile, recognizing Trip from passing and previous missions.

"No problem, Sir," Trip said, returning the smile. "I believe Director Fury has me joining your team for your mission, I was on my way to the meeting when I found Kit."

"Fury wouldn't give me names – wanted to do it in person. But I'm glad to hear you'll be joining us,' Coulson said, setting a quick pace as they walked to the meeting room.

"Thank you, Sir. It'll be my pleasure."

"Mine too. Fury's already there with everyone else and it was a bit of a mess to get everyone to stay while I went to look for Kit by myself, so I'm trying to hurry back and get this meeting started," Coulson explained as they ascended a flight of stairs and finally arrived at the meeting room.

0-0-0

Kit stood beside Coulson, leaning tiredly against his legs. The poor night's sleep, residual illness, and recent fit of panic were adding up and making her eyelids droop, her fingers loosely gripping Coulson's hand.

"Tired?" Coulson asked after thanking Trip and sending him into the meeting, stating that he'd be there shortly.

Kit nodded. "I know you have grown up stuff to do. I can wait out here," she said through a yawn.

"Are you sure?" Coulson said.

Kit nodded again. "You guys have important things to do."

"It not more important than you and it never will be. If you don't want to wait out her, I'm sure I can convince Fury to let me bring you in."

Kit shook her head. She didn't want to be even more of an inconvenience. "I'm okay."

Coulson was about to respond when the door peeked open and Simmons slipped out, an apologetic look across her face.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir. Director Fury sent me out to get you so we can begin. I can wait out her until Kit is okay, check up on her and everything. I'll be back before I'm needed and Fitz can fill me in on anything I miss – Director Fury said it will mostly just be formalities while I'm gone."

Coulson nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Simmons." He turned to face Kit. "You'll be okay?"

She pasted on a smile. "Yes," she replied, moving from beside Coulson to sit on the bench next to Jemma.

Once he was convinced Kit would be okay, Coulson entered the meeting room. He scanned the oval table quickly, eyes noting each face, flashing across Fury, Maria, and his own team before observing the two new additions seated together at the opposite end. Antoinette Triplett and Bobbi Morse.

Coulson smiled warmly. He'd had good experiences with Trip and enough experience with Bobbi to consider her a close friend and know that she was easily one of Shield's best agents.

"Agent Coulson, nice of you to join us," Fury began, breaking Coulson's stream of thoughts.

Coulson shrugged. "Sorry. Kit needed me.'

Fury nodded with understanding. "How is she doing?"

"She's a bit shaken, but she's adapting. She's strong, tough."

"I'm glad to hear that," Fury said, before opening up a file stacked in front of him and explaining their outline of a preliminary plan.

0-0-0

Outside, Kit sat beside Simmons, the small girl's posture was stiff and her composure forced.

"How are you feeling?" Simmons asked, aware of Kit's recent panic attack.

Kit shrugged. "I'm okay."

Simmons eyed her with concern, hating the space between them. "Do you want to talk about what happened today?"

Blush flushed across Kit's cheeks as she shook her head and stopped swinging her feet. Instead, she glanced at Simmons before sliding over so she was closer to the biochemist and pressing against her side.

Simmons gave Kit a reassuring squeezed and gently ran her hand up and down the girl's back. "If you ever want to talk, we're all here for you. You know that, don't you?"

Kit nodded and closed her eyes, resting against Simmons.

Jemma moved her hand up to Kit's hair to stroke it softly and Kit leaned further into her touch. "Do you still feel ill?"

Kit nodded and shyly hid her face against Simmons' shoulder. Simmons sighed sympathetically and gently pulled Kit into her lap. The little girl accepted the movement without protest but tucked her head in the crook of Jemma's neck as soon as it was possible.

"Oh, Kit," Simmons whispered, heart aching for the young girl as she held her tightly.

"I wish I could help you feel better instantly. I'm quite certain that much of your illness has been spurred by the stress of trauma and your lack of sleep, so rest might be the best thing for you right now. You're probably very tired."

The tip of her small nose bobbed against Simmons' neck as Kit nodded. "I'm always tired."

"I know," Simmons said, her thumb brushing Kit's shoulder in a comforting rhythm.

"It's not fun," Kit muttered.

"No, it's not, but your body is working extra hard to get better which means it needs more sleep."

"Don't like sleep," Kit mumbled, her syllables getting softer, her speech sloppier and fatigue took its toll. "It's scary and it never works."

"We can fix. We will. There's always a way and we'll figure out what it is."

" 'Cause we're scientists. You, me, and Fitz. That's what we do." Kit mumbled softly, a flicker of smile across her lips as she fell asleep.

A few minutes passed until a soft knock drew Simmons from her thoughts. Coulson appeared in the hall. "Ready?"

Simmons nodded.

"Is she asleep now?"

"Out cold. She's having trouble sleeping at night, not getting nearly enough rest."

"Fury gave the okay to bring Kit in. I figured she'd fall asleep so I set up two chairs for her to sleep on while we finish. You haven't missed much.

"Okay," Simmons said and transferred the sleeping child into his arms, straightening her own shirt before entering the room and relaying her and Fitz's findings and theories to the group.

0-0-0

A few hours later the team shuffled out of the room with a generally good idea of their next step; researching Hydra's possible experimentation and begin pinpointing locations currently or preciously utilized by Hydra. They wanted names. Names of people in charge. Names of bases and tests and scientists and where the funding was coming from.

Secondly, they were to look further into Kit's conditions. If they could understand what happened with her, they'd be closer to figuring out what Hydra's bigger plan might be.

As Coulson showed Bobbi and Trip their bunks, they discussed the plan further, all the research and possible invasions they'd start developing.

0-0-0

"I'll be back in a little bit," Skye said later that evening as she stood up and ruffled Kit's hair, moving to join Coulson in the doorway and leaving the room.

Kit's gaze followed their movements, clinging to the sight of them until their body's disappeared around a corner. As soon as they were out of sight, Kit lowered her head and tightened the blanket around her pajama clad body. She snuck a quick glance at the tall blonde woman standing beside the couch.

Curiosity was pressing Kit to do more but the events of the Hydra attack had left her shaky and cautious.

"Hi, I'm Bobbi," the woman said and held out her had for Kit to shake.

Kit hesitated for a moment, people rarely shook hands with her since she was a kid. Something about being treated like an adult, or at least a big kid, made Kit feel happy, stronger. She felt some of her unease disintegrating.

Kit finally looked up completely, observing Bobbi shyly before reaching out and shaking her hand.

"I'm Kit, or Kitty," she said with a smile.

Bobbi smiled back. "So _you_ must be the Kitty I've been hearing so many wonderful things about…"

Rosy pink colored Kit's cheeks and she shrugged bashfully.

"I like your name. Kit and Kitty are both really cool. Do you prefer one?"

"They're both okay. A lot of people call me Kit, but I like Kitty, too. They're short for Kristen."

"That's awesome," Bobbi complimented and Kit grinned proudly. "My name's short for something, too."

"Really?"

Bobbi nodded as she sat beside Kit. "My official name is Barbra," she said, wrinkling her nose and making a face. "I don't like it very much."

"I don't think it's so bad," Kit said, shrugging and tilting her head in thought.

"Thanks," Bobbi said with a smile, turning her attention to the TV. "What are you watching?"

"A documentary," Kit answered and glanced happily at the screen.

Bobbi raised her eyebrows. "Wow, that's pretty cool. You like those?"

Kit nodded enthusiastically, brown hair bobbing around her small face, eyes alit with excitement. "I watch them all the time with Fitz and Simmons."

Bobbi had met the science twins earlier that day at the meeting; years ago, information of the pair had spread quickly when they were in the academy. Their remarkable intelligence and excelled skill had brought fame to their names in the Shield science world. It hadn't taken long for word to reach Bobbi.

The thought of the two of them befriending Kit brought a smile to Bobbi's face, especially over the fact that Kit seemed so proud of being around them, her admiration was impossible to miss.

"You like hanging out with them, huh?"

Kit nodded again. "We do all kinds of fun things, like science experiments. And when Skye comes sometimes she likes to complain that it's boring but we all know she actually likes it."

Bobbi laughed softly. "That sounds nice."

Silence fell over them as Kit grew silent and she fidget with the pillow resting in her lap.

"Yeah," Kit finally relied and Bobbi recognized the pensive, grateful and longing filled look on Kit. The expression struck Bobbi even more so than usual, she'd seen it numerous times on other agents. Hell, she'd seen it in the mirror on her own face more times than she'd liked to admit. It came with the job. It was a part of loss. But on the face of a child, masked across a small nose, innocent, pink lips and soft cheeks, the look took on an effect that was entirely more heartbreaking and haunting.

Bobbi shifted on the couch slightly. "You okay, Kitty?" she asked softly.

Kit nodded and briefly met Bobbi's worried gaze. "Yeah," she said again.

"So, what's this documentary about?"

"Polar bears. We watch a lot of animal documentaries because Skye and Ward say they're the only cool ones."

"Do you like animals?"

"Mhmm. I really want a dog and Fitz really wants a monkey, and we've planned for them to be best friends and work together, but I don't think Coulson would let them on the plane. Jemma told me that Fitz has been trying for _years_ to get a monkey, but someone always says no." As Kit explained, her demeanor grew normal again, more relaxed with each passing moment.

"I think it'd be fun," Bobbi said, amused at the prospect of Coulson turning down pet requests. She'd known him years ago and she'd never forget the stories of the constant sneaking of stray dogs into his dorm room. Apparently, it's happened so often that they'd been sure he'd get kicked out of the academy for his "outright defiance" as she'd heard it called once. Instead, Coulson had managed to talk his way out of it and a few weeks later, a new dog would always make Coulson's room it's temporary home.

"Coulson has a weakness pugs and beagles."

"What about ponies?" Kit asked, straightening up with anticipation.

Bobbi chuckled. "I'm not sure about that one. I'm pretty sure a pony tried to bite him once and he's never been the same since."

A giggle slipped from Kit's lips. "That's silly. Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he was all right," Bobbi said with a nod. "I have a bunch of crazy stories about Coulson and probably quite a few about May too…"

"Really?" Kit asked, looking up, eyes sparkling with interest and disbelief.

"No," answered another voice, one familiar to both of them.

They turned around to see May standing in the doorway.

Bobbi grinned and looked over the back of the couch. "Hi, May!"

"Hi," she responded with a smirk.

"Do you want to watch a documentary with us?" Kit said, already making space for May.

"I would, but it's time to get you to bed."

Kit pouted but slowly got off the couch and made her way to the older agent. Bobbi smiled at Kit's snowflake dotted footie pajamas.

Kit paused once she reached May and turned around, an enormous smile on her face. "Goodnight, Bobbi."

"Goodnight, Kitty. It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Kit beamed and blushed, finally letting May lead her out of the room.

Kit chattered as they walked down the hall. Her jubilant voice was a welcomed but short term change from the scared heaviness that had rippled through her words recently.

Her room grew closer and her sentences slowed, eventually disintegrating from a porous whisper into complete silence.

"May?"

The agent gave her attention to Kit.

"I don't wanna do it. I can't sleep in there. I can't." Her lips were pulled down into a pitiful pout. Her eyebrows slanted down, joining the rest of her features in their defeated slump. Her thumb gravitated to her mouth in an act Kit hadn't done in ages. It made her feel like a baby. Normally, she would wrinkle her nose at the old, long-broken habit. This time, however, her thumb slipped between her teeth without protest, her shoulders sinking in, feeling impossibly small and hopeless and lonely without her mom.

"Do you want to try? I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

With her bottom lip bit tightly between her teeth, Kit looked around, her leg tapping nervously. It had been different the night before when she was tired, distracted and desperate. Kit had been asleep by the time she'd reached the bedroom and waking up there had been an experience that made Kit want to shiver and shrink back.

The initial invasion of the Hydra agents, two nights ago, had instilled skittish mannerism in Kit, and a fear of her bunk. That combined with the previous night's horrible dream and today's breakdown had Kit in an arguably worse state than before, and had seen her wearing a mask after her panic attack.

Despite everything, she took a deep breath and looked at May, saying, "Okay."

As May opened the door, the butterflies in Kit's stomach fluttered even more and Kit immediately reached for May's hand, squeezing tightly.

May kept ahold of Kit's hand as the little girl climbed onto the bed, flinching as she eyed the door and laid down stiffly.

A minute passed, the air tense and straining.

Kit swallowed. Every time she tried to close her eyes they shot back open. Eventually, she managed to nod off, only to wake within seconds. Her body bolted upright and scrambled out of the bed, nearly tripping, sending her sprawling across the floor when May caught Kit and held her firmly with strong arms.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," it mumbled against May's neck.

When they entered the brightly lit hall, May placed Kit down, gently holding the girl's shaking hands.

"No apologizing. I'm so proud of you for trying. That's what counts."

Kit nodded, eyes still trained on the floor. She sniffled away the last remnants of possible tears, grateful that she hadn't cried. "Can we try again? A different day?" she asked, a flicker of fire dancing in her eyes.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready we'll try again."

"Thanks," Kit said softly, swaying slightly just as Coulson walked down the hall.

"Hey," he said gently to the pair.

"Kit, I have something you might want to listen to."

"What?" she asked, brows high with anticipation, swallowing Kit's previous nerves, nightmare forgotten.

"It's a surprise," he said with a grin. "Come on." He gestured down the hall with a tilt of his head.

After a quick goodbye and goodnight to May, Kit followed Coulson to his office and took a seat on a chair across from his desk.

"You ready?" he asked.

Kit nodded eagerly, sitting up in her seat.

Coulson pressed a button on his computer and music instantly flooded the room. The strong, steady hum of a cello ballooned in the air, flooding each crevice and filling up holes in Kit's heart, in Kit's memories.

She gasped, holding her breath, holding on to the strange feeling of collapsing and rebuilding all at once.

"That's Mommy," Kit said softly, almost in disbelief, unfamiliar sentiments swelling inside her as the notes of each song danced through the air.

Coulson nodded, his face reciprocating Kit's smile. "They're clips of her solos and practices and auditions. Hours of her playing and they're all for you."

"It's really her," Kit stated, her voice possessing an airy, far-away quality. Suddenly, she perked up even further as a different song began. "She wrote this one for me," Kit said, smiling brilliantly and breathing deeply.

"Do you want to stay and listen for a while?"

Kit thought the question was kind of funny. She wanted to stay and listen to Audrey play forever and ever and ever, but Kit was having trouble choking out words so instead she just nodded, crying hard as she slipped off the chair and climbed into Coulson's lap.

He wrapped her in a thick, fuzzy blanket – the kind that feels like a hug – and kissed her forehead softly as silent tears pooled over.

She looked up at him, smile shiny through tears. "It hurts, but I don't care because it's like she's still her. Like she's right beside me."

"I know," Coulson said, petting her hair gently and holding her.

She leaned against him, closing her eyes and drifting gently off to sleep to the uplifting vibrations of Audrey's cello strings and steady beat of Coulson's heart, his comforting warmth. The situation brought a new sense of calm, with her senses sandwiched between two of her favorite people. Kit felt, for the first time in weeks, that she'd found a piece of home.

* * *

 **A/N:** For those who celebrate it, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Also, I'd like to give a special shout out to **dancer4813,** thank you _so_ much for the suggestion about the cello tapes- sorry it took so long to include it. :)

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

Ward was trying to read a book. He'd been trying to read a book all day, but something kept getting in the way. Now, however, he was alone – everyone having disappeared to complete various projects. He finally flipped past the first page of the day, nearly sighing in relief that he'd been able to go a whole page without interruption.

The second page was going just as well until he heard someone standing in front of him, shuffling slightly. Without looking up, he said, "Not again, Skye," referring to the previous four times Skye had interrupted him in the past twelve hours for entirely illegitimate reasons.

Instead of Skye's usual sarcastic response, he heard a shift of weight in the silence, a small breath. He looked up, eyes meeting Kit. Her hands were behind her back, fingers knotted as she rocked from the ball of her foot to the heel.

She was looking expectantly at him, brown eyes trained on his.

He smiled what he hoped was a welcoming smile and put down his book. "Hey, Kit. You need anything?"

She shrugged and sat next to him on the couch. "What are you reading?" she asked, eyes skimming over the book. He held up the cover and she read the unfamiliar name.

"What's it about?"

"I don't know, yet. I haven't been able to get very far."

"Oh," Kit said, looking down before looking up again. "Ward, have you seen Skye?"

"Not in a few hours, sorry. I think she's doing something for Coulson."

Kit nodded. "She usually helps me get set up for bed so that when May or Coulson come to sit with me I'm ready."

"Maybe you could just start with them tonight?" Ward reasoned, placing his book on the coffee table and facing Kit completely.

"She's with Fitz working on some project. I heard them talking about it earlier, and Coulson would be with Skye."

"Huh."

"What about Simmons?" Kit asked, straightening hopefully.

"If Fitz is working on the project with May now, then Simmons would be there, too." Ward said. "Bobbi and Trip just entered a video chat with some specialists at the Hub to give them an update."

Kit raised her eyebrows, imitating a look Ward had seen from May a hundred times. "I wasn't going to ask for them. Bobbi and Trip are great, but it'd be too much, too soon," she said with a small shake of her head and pursed lips.

Kit looked down again, tapping her fingers against her knees. Ward scrutinized a thread on the coach, beginning to understand where this conversation was going. Silence stretched between them, each avoiding eye contact as Kit wiggled marginally and Ward berated himself for his lack of experience with kids. Forget enemy spy invasions or alien weaponry, little kids were what brought fear to Ward's eyes.

"Ward?" Kit finally asked, looking up at Ward, innocent and full of anticipation.

He nodded, already anticipating the question and feeling nerves spark in his body.

"Would _you_ help me get ready for bed?"

He shifted uneasily. "I don't know, Kit. I'm not good at that stuff."

"That's not true. Plus, it's easy." Kit jumped off the couch and extended her hand to him.

Ward sighed, running a hand through his hair. He got up and allowed Kit's hand to curl around his.

"So, how do you guys usually do this thing?"

Kit was practically skipping down the hall, swinging their hands between them. "Oh, it's so fun. We pick out pajamas together and sometimes we have a dance party or Skye helps teach me how to play guitar. Other times we read books of listen to my mom play the cello. Skye also has a special playlist for brushing teeth."

Coulson, Skye, and May had noticed that making bedtime fun for Kit eased her anxiety and helped Kit stay in her own room a little longer. She'd yet to spend a full night in her bunk, but they were so proud of her constant attempts.

Some nights it was too much. Some nights Kit cried and screamed and hated being close to her room, and stepping near the door sent her flinching away. On those nights, Kit got held a lot, steady and safe in strong arms until she fell asleep in someone else's bunk. They encouraged her, swelling with pride every time she tried again – and she did, so often the whole team was impressed – but they'd agreed not to push her and not to ever force Kit to do anything. They didn't really need to anyway, not with the way Kit was so full of determination and bravery that she was constantly pushing herself.

That evening, half an hour after entering her bunk, Kit was almost entirely ready for bed. On the contrary, her energy level was not. Kit and Ward had spent the past ten minutes trying to figure out which pajamas Kit should wear. It turned out, that Ward was just as indecisive as Kit when it came to picking between dolphin or astronaut pajamas.

Eventually she'd gone with astronaut.

Kit opened the door to her room, letting Ward back in after she finished changing.

"Ward?" she asked, perched on the edge of her bed. "Do you know how to play guitar?"

She held out the small, child sized instrument.

"I used to know a little."

"Here, try," Kit said as she passed the guitar and slid over to make room for him.

Ward smiled and sat down, running his fingers along the strings. Despite years apart, the feeling was familiar, reminding him of the summer he'd learned guitar. He'd been twelve years old and his neighborhood friend had taught him. Since then, Ward could count the amount of times he'd played guitar on one hand.

He strummed a couple of chords, the only three he remembered, motivated by Kit's growing smile each time a sound vibrated through the room.

"You're good!" Kit said, studying his fingers as they moved along the fretboard.

Ward laughed. He wasn't even playing a song, his chords were flat, with a bit too much ring, but a musician's daughter was complimenting him, anyway.

"Thanks," he said, smiling softly. "Do you remember how to play a C chord?"

Kit tapped her nose, face contorted in thought. "I think… it's like this," she said. "This finger goes here and this one here," she explained as she gently took each finger into her own and placed them on the respective string. "That one there and you should be good. Try it now."

Ward followed her instruction, plucking each string until they sounded clear, then finally strumming.

"That's it!" Kit said, smile bright across her face.

"Look at you go, Ward," Skye said with a grin as she entered through the door.

Kit immediately looked her way. "Skye!" she called, hopping off the bed and hugging Skye's legs.

"I missed you," Skye said, bending down to embrace Kit.

The little girl giggled. "I saw you this morning."

"I know but it felt like _so_ long ago and then I still didn't see you for hours."

Kit pressed herself against Skye, her laughter fading as she looked up at the agent. "I missed you, too."

Skye ran her thumb over Kit's hand. "It's okay though, because we're together now."

A smile fell back in place across Kit's lips and she nodded before pulling Skye's hand toward the bed. Ward stood up, offering the guitar to Skye. "I'll let you guys finish up."

"You should stay," Kit said and glanced up at Skye who nodded in agreement.

Ward agreed with an 'okay,' sitting back on the bed where Skye and Kit joined him.

Kit climbed onto Skye's lap. "Can we do the thing?"

"Of course we can, Kit Kat," Skye said, pulling the guitar over both of them. "What song?"

Kit thought for a moment, head tilted, fingers tapping the strings as she thought. "Hey There Delilah," she finally answered and Skye smiled.

"Deal."

Skye's fingers moved across the fretboard as Kit picked the strings. Kit had picked up on guitar quickly and was actually quite good despite her young age. She could play a lot of simple strumming songs by herself, but some nights Kit wanted Skye to finger the chords while Kit strummed. Those were the nights that Kit tended to be clingy, wanting to stay close to Skye or May as soon as the other woman entered.

The girls moved seamlessly, laughing and singing as they played, and Ward could tell that they'd done it multiple times before. He leaned over to Kit, whispering loudly, "Don't tell Skye, but I think she's better at guitar than I am. She's _really_ good, so are you."

Ward looked up, catching Skye's eye. They both smiled, looking down as Kit replied, blush coloring her cheeks. "Thanks. Skye's the best."

0-0-0

It was a little after nine when May left the lab, having finished going through some of Kit's information before looking over video clips the Hub had sent from an infiltrated Hydra lab. Fitz and Simmons had analyzed the machines in the background and looked for any clues toward what chemicals had been used in whatever Hydra had done to Audrey and Kit; meanwhile, May had studied the figures in the background, trying to identify who was in charge and which names were involved.

As she headed toward the bunks, Coulson caught up with her.

"Hey, how'd it go?" he asked.

"We're getting somewhere. You?"

"Skye's going to try to get into Hydra's database. With the Hub behind us, she has a solid chance."

May nodded.

"Are you going to sit with Kit?" Coulson said.

May nodded again and Coulson smiled, looking like he'd been waiting a while to say whatever he was about to tell her.

"What?" she prompted, eyebrows raising.

"I want to show you something."

"Can it wait? I'm late for Kit, it past her bedtime already."

"I don't think she's going to notice," Coulson said, bumping May's shoulder and tilting his head toward the door as they approached Kit's room.

May had to cover her mouth to hold back a laugh at the sound pouring through the wall, filling the corridor. Skye, Kit, and _Ward's_ voices were singing an Elvis song, out of key and accompanied by a zealous guitar.

May caught Coulson's eye, both of them smirking.

"It's good, right?" Coulson asked.

She was about to reply when a loud, high note caused a laugh to take away her words. May shook her head. "Let's give them some time."

Coulson nodded in agreement as they turned away from the door, a new stomping sound suggesting that Skye, Ward, and Kit's performance was beginning to include a dance sequence. Coulson laughed at the image and followed May down the hall. "I haven't heard Kit laugh like that in a while. You think she's getting better?"

"I do," May said, her clear, unhesitant voice adding to Coulson's reassured beliefs.

"Me too," he said finally. "Let's see if Bobbi and Trip got anything, and then we'll check up on whatever that was we just heard?"

May laughed and nodded.

0-0-0

Their meeting had quickly become less professional and more social. As it turned out, while the Hub didn't have much additional information, Bobbi and Trip had a lot of stories, and May and Coulson had a lot of catching up to do with the newest members of their teams.

The clock was pushing 11:30 when the group dissembled, Bobbi and Trip yawning as they went to their rooms. Coulson and May sat for a minute longer.

"I really need to go sit with Kit," May said, standing up.

"Skye and Ward probably have her all hyped up," Coulson said with a laugh while he walked by May's side.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

They reached the room, met with silence as May opened the door.

She and Coulson looked in, their conversation suddenly fading.

The trio was asleep, squeezed together on the small bed – Skye's head leaning against Ward's shoulder with his head atop hers and Kit sandwiched between them. They looked happy, peaceful. All of them for the first time in a while.

Coulson squinted, noticing Ward and Skye's fingertips touching, brushing against each other and meeting in the middle, arms wrapping over Kit protectively.

He moved to take a step forward but May stopped him, shaking her head lightly and placing a finger on her lips.

There was a pile of children's books next to Skye and an open one in Ward's lap, while Eliza, the elephant, was tucked against Kit's side.

May pulled an extra blanket from beneath the bed and together, she and Coulson placed it over the trio and took a step back.

"That's actually really kind of cute," Coulson said.

"Yeah, a little bit," May admitted with a small smile. Kit's chest rose and fell calmly, and the older pair watched as she nestled closer against Skye and slipped her fingers into Ward's open hand.

* * *

 **A/N:** I had a request for some Ward/Kit interaction, so I hope I did it justice. :) Also, if anyone wants to PM about that midseason finale, I am totally up for it because whoa. That was amazing and ridiculously good.

Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

"We're descending," May announced.

Beside her, Bobbi studied the radar. She squinted and leaned closer.

"What the hell is that?" she pointed to a dark plane-shaped object appearing on their screen.

May was silent for a moment, glancing quickly at the image before Bobbi nudged her shoulder and May looked up. The plane was visible from their window now. Dark exterior, heavily armed. It looked industrial, sturdy; built for battle.

"It's Hydra," Coulson said, bursting into the cockpit with loud, hurried footsteps.

"What's our move?" May asked.

"We fire, and then we land as quickly as possible and get into that base before they can all flee. I have a feeling they're trying to clear out."

0-0-0

Bobbi slid around the edge of the Hydra base, breath held in her throat. She pressed her ear against a boarded window and looked at May, shaking her head and mouthing 'nothing.' It was the fourth window they'd checked and each one was silent without any motion detected inside.

May nodded and the pair crouched lower. Sand shifted beneath their feet as they shuffled forward, moving toward the last window on their list.

The intel on the Hydra research facility had been abrupt and surprising. The base had been in close proximity and related to experimentation, likely the same study that had involved Audrey and Kit.

The facility was expected to contain primarily scientists with a few security agents.

Coulson had moved quickly, sending each team member to suit up and get briefed as they landed. He'd nearly lost it when Ward showed up to the briefing a minute late, but by the time they reached the base each agent had ended up where they were supposed to be. May had taken shots at the Hydra plane but it wasn't enough and after a brief exchange of fire, both planes escaped relatively unharmed.

"Still nothing," Bobbi whispered, still pressed against the base.

May radioed in their findings to Coulson and the rest of the team. They'd broken into pairs. May with Bobbi; Trip with Ward; and Skye with Coulson, while FitzSimmons waited on the Bus, monitoring what they could and relaying new information from the Hub.

"Same report from everyone. We're moving in," May told Bobbi.

Each duo entered the facility, casting shadows through the darkness as they crept through thin passages, making their way to the small basement where the pairs met up.

"According to Shield's inside man, beyond the basement, the facility is comprised of one large room and a few small offices and storage areas." Simmons told the team.

"Okay," Coulson said, looking around at the members surrounding him, their faces dark and distorted in the dim room. "We secure the large room and then we take the smaller rooms three at a time, in pairs again. We clear them out before meeting in the middle and gathering whatever information we can. Clear?"

He received a nod from each agent before they climbed up the metal staircase, reaching into the darkness like a skeleton.

The air was still, the room vacant; silent with the exception of humming computers and machines shutting down, their systems compromised. The floor was concrete, the walls and ceilings a bland white. Examination tables were lined in a row, machines scattered across the room. Medical monitors and computers dotted the desks. Cabinets were secured with padlocks, some of them undone, hanging open and swinging eerily in the empty expanse of the facility.

It was merely a matter of minutes before the base as a whole was cleared, declared abandoned as Coulson and Skye exited the last cluster of offices, joining the team around an examination table.

May had come across a light switch and turned it on once the base was deemed uninhibited. Suddenly, the facility had been bathed in harsh, sterile light.

"It was a hasty retreat," May said as Coulson and Skye approached.

Coulson shook his head. "How the hell did they know?" He slammed his hand against one of the metal tables, making Skye jump upward as he continued. "Damn it! We were so close. We had them," he muttered, pacing around the equipment. "There has to be something important here. We needed this."

"I'm checking the computers now. I might be able to get into their data base," Skye said, typing at one of the tables. "Ah, shoot. When they left, they set their computers to clear their data. I can slow the deletion but what's lost is lost, they must've transferred backups of their files to wherever they're going next. I'll save what I can," Skye explained as she pulled out a flash drive from her tactical suit and pushed it into the computer.

A clatter of metal and sharp bang interrupted Coulson's reply. The team looked up, eyes immediately drawn to where Bobbi and Trip had been looking around an examination table.

"Sorry," Trip said, expression sheepish as he knelt down to pick up the fallen object, but Bobbi stopped him.

"'Sir," she began, glancing at Coulson. "You might want to take a look at this."

"Yeah, this too," Ward said from his position in front of metal cabinets.

They'd found shackles, blood splatter, and somatotropin among other hormones and chemicals littering the cabinets. Handcuffs, cages, and syringe after syringe. A device identical to the one discovered inside Audrey during her autopsy. Needles were spilled across the floor in Hydra's haste to leave and clipboards were discarded on lone desks, their notes haunting and disturbing.

The further they looked, the more disgusted Coulson felt. These were the people who killed Audrey, who'd tampered with Kit's life. These were the people who were trying to take her.

0-0-0

It was just past one in the morning when the majority of the team returned back to the Bus, night still hanging in the air, the moon pulling across the sky. The items in the Hydra facility had been catalogued and Shield had been contacted to send out a second team in charge of retrieving the findings and shipping them off to various headquarters for research purposes. Simmons had received a sample of each chemical and Fitz was given smaller pieces of machinery to take apart and investigate.

Coulson was the last one back on the Bus, following the others by about an hour. He wanted to make sure the job was thorough, that nothing got left behind. When he climbed up the ramp and closed it, the team had mostly split up – sleeping or working or going through the files they'd recovered from the Hydra facility.

He'd just reached the top of the stairs and crossed through the door when Simmons appeared, walking beside Kit, fingers entwined. Kit's head hung, eyes looking at the ground as she cried softly.

"She had a bad dream," Simmons explained quietly, gaze still trained on Kit.

Coulson nodded and called the small girl over. Kit glanced up and wiped her tears, walking quickly to him after Jemma squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Kit pressed her head against Coulson's side and he pulled her against him, rubbing her back softly. She stayed nestled against him while Coulson and Simmons conversed quietly, the little girl only lifting her head when Jemma wished her a goodnight and promised they'd finish their lab experiment the next day.

He walked Kit to his office and as soon as he took a seat, she scrambled into his lap, simply feeling more comfortable with him around.

"Jemma said you had a nightmare?"

Kit nodded and tucked her head against his chest as he stroked her hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, tears already dwindling into a light sniffle.

"It'll be better in the morning," he said gently. "Everything is better in the morning."

Feeling much happier than a few minutes earlier, Kit nodded and added, "Except for a galgo, 'cause they're nocturnal so they have to go to sleep in the morning."

Coulson laughed. "You're right about that one. Maybe you're spending too much time with FitzSimmons... all this science and little ape talk," he teased.

Kit shook her head and giggled. "Never! Plus, they're monkeys not apes. Fitz taught me the difference."

"Oh, excuse me," Coulson dramatically feigned hurt, only making Kit laugh harder.

"How about this..." He tried again, "Everything _looks_ better in the morning."

Kit shook her head, another giggle slipping from her lips. "People don't always look better in the morning. Fitz always seems a bit confused and Skye usually looks grumpy and her hair is sometimes messy."

Coulson laughed. Fitz was groggy whenever he woke up and Skye definitely wasn't a morning person. "You might have me again," he said with a smile and Kit grinned.

"Skye is pretty though," Kit said, looking past him and across his desk. "I like her and FitzSimmons and everyone else here. They're all nice."

Coulson smiled. "They are."

Kit laid in silence for a little while and Coulson thought she was asleep until she shifted against him and turned to look up at his face. Her eyes were sleepy, fluttering closed when she asked, "Do you ever miss my mommy?"

Coulson hesitated before answering truthfully, the words nearly catching in his throat. "Every single day."

"Me too," Kit whispered against his shoulder as her eyes finally drooped shut. Coulson sighed heavily, how did they ever end up here?

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy holidays for whatever you may celebrate! :) I hope you're all doing well, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	16. Chapter 16

Ward walked into the kitchen and watched Skye, bundled up with a blanket on the tall chair with her computer perched on the edge of the counter.

After the previous evening's invasion and near Hydra encounter, most agents had gone to bed as soon as they'd returned to the plane. FitzSimmons, of course, had been eager to study all the chemicals and machinery the team had brought back, and it appeared that Skye had taken up on the habit of late night research as well.

"Skye, did you sleep at all last night?"

"No," she answered without lifting her head, eyes still trained on her computer screen, thumb running softly across her bottom lip.

"What have you been doing?"

"Working," she said as she continued typing, fingers flying across the keyboard with expertise.

"Skye." Ward waved his hands in front of her screen.

She took a deep breath and stopped typing, the tapping finally ceasing as she broke her gaze at the screen and looked at Ward. "What?"

"Come on, get up." He nudged her elbow. "You have to eat or sleep of do something to take a quick break. You have training in a bit, and don't forget, Coulson hates when we pull all-nighters," Ward said as he moved toward the coffee machine.

"He won't hate it this time," Skye said and, as if on cue, Coulson walked in.

He looked around, eyes landing on Skye as she typed a quick sequence.

"Skye, that's the same position you were in six hours ago."

"Not exactly… look, I grabbed a blanket at around four this morning," she said with a small smirk, waving the fleece blanket enthusiastically over her head, with the zeal only a sleep deprived individual can truly possess. She glanced back at her computer as Coulson briefly caught Ward's eye. The specialist shrugged before Coulson looked back at Skye.

"Did you find anything?"

A smile broke across her face. "Tons." She patted the seat beside her. "Sit here and I'll show you."  
"I'm still working on getting the files on Kit, Audrey, and a few others, but I was able to decode the encrypted files I have now, and I've found some pretty bad things."

Skye made eye contact with Coulson and he nodded subtly, urging her to continue.

She pulled up a new document, pointing and highlighting as she went along. "It was a big experiment and an even bigger disaster. They randomly selected twenty people of varying backgrounds, ages, etc. Hydra kidnapped them and implanted devices designed to emit chemicals every week – that's what the device found in Audrey's autopsy was. They released the 'test subjects,' implanting each of them with different memories of where the scar came from – generally a car crash or something. Hydra monitored them for ten years, and when they reached the ten year mark, Hydra stuck, attempting to kidnap the remaining subjects and studying the effects of the drugs. It looks like they were trying to give these people powers – alter their genes; 'enhance them' as Hydra liked to call it."

"And? Were they successful?"

Skye shook her head. "Like I said before… disastrous. Only eleven people survived the ten year observation period – the specifics of their deaths are in the file if you want to see. An additional five died during the kidnappings, leaving only four remaining people and so far based off their files, none have shown any signs of reacting successfully to the chemicals."

"That's a lot of information," Coulson said, rubbing his forehead and looking down.

Skye nodded. "And they want Kit because she's the only one it might have worked on. They didn't even mean for her to be effected, not originally, but now she's the only one they didn't screw up."

A heavy sigh filled the air. Coulson looked at the computer then back at Skye. "Still no file on her?"

Skye shook her head and scrolled through the documents again. "I'm working on it. Hydra's encryption is good, but I'm determined to break it. Their experimentation has gotten harsher. I read through the current files, they're desperate."

"Then we work harder," Coulson said, sitting up straighter. "We make sure Kit is with one of us at all times. May is flying us to a Shield associate to check up on the plane, make sure Hydra didn't do too much damage. Shield doesn't want us at a safe house – Hydra's after us and they're mad. Director Fury's worried that any safe house linked to Shield would be dangerous for us. He has a trusted friend with a small hotel near the repair shop, we'll stay there and work on getting Hydra's new location, then… we hit Hydra. Hard. We get those last four people out and we make sure Kit can't get hurt again. We're taking the unit down and we're doing it as soon as possible. We don't have time to wait anymore."

"I'm going to do what I can to get into the rest of the files. While I wait, I'm going to see FitzSimmons, see if they can help me get through some of this medical science-y jargon," Skye said as she stood up and placed a hand on Coulson's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, we're close. I can feel it."

"Thanks, Skye, for everything" he said, standing beside her, the two of them alone in the room after Ward left a few minutes ago. "I'm going to go fill May in, let me know if FitzSimmons have any information."

"Will do." She exchanged a quick smile with him before taking off down the hall.

As Skye made her way down the stairs she heard Fitz's voice, sounding mildly exasperated as he said, "Jemma, she's seven!"

"And don't tell me you weren't tampering with all your electrical toys at seven years old. She's fine, and the frog isn't even real, it's just a replica. A remarkably realistic replica. Look, she likes it."

Skye peered in from the steps, trying to figure out what was going on as Simmons pointed to Kit who was hunched over the examination table, perched on a step stool so she could see the frog that FitzSimmons were talking about. A much-too-large lab coat hung over her frame and the adorably oversized gloves didn't help Fitz's case. Neither did the fact that Kit's furrowed brows and serious expression morphed into one of delight and pride as she proudly declared across the room to Jemma that she'd "found the heart."

While the phrase was a bit startling without the full story, Skye found herself leaning toward Simmons' side simply on the fact that Kit _did_ look adorable, until Skye walked into the lab and was close enough to see that Kit was indeed holding a scalpel, surrounded by various other probes and sharp objects. _Maybe Fitz was right._

"Oh my god, you've brainwashed her, Simmons," Skye said with a grin and Fitz shared a fist bump with her.

"I did not! She simply showed interest and I took it upon myself to satisfy her curiosity," Simmons defended from their gathering in the hall, having stepped away from Kit briefly.

Laughing, Skye shook her head, "This is kind of messed up, Jemma."

"She's using a scalpel! At seven years old." Fitz exclaimed.

Jemma huffed. "Give it a rest, Fitz. She's doing a wonderful job. It's impressive, really. Especially for her age. Plus, I'm supervising, and helping with all the hard parts."

"All right, Ms. Mad Scientist, go back to your little mini me before she hurts herself," Skye teased with a smile, turning toward the exit.

"And make sure she doesn't leave any organs lying around. God knows we don't need that again." Fitz shot Simmons a pointed glance, conveying lingering annoyance from multiple occurrences.

"Oh, Fitz, that was years ago..." Simmons muttered as she turned around and made her way back to Kit. "You can't really still be upset about that."

"Still fresh in my mind!" he called as he moved to the other side of the lab.

"Fitz, the frog isn't even real this time," she muttered back. Despite her slight vexation toward his objection to her and Kit's activity, a smirk worked itself across Jemma's lips. Oh, Fitz. She cleared her mind and turned her attention toward Kit. "So, what else did you find?"

Kit was about to answer when Skye reappeared, swinging around the door frame. "Hey, Kit," she said, waving with a smile before looking at the two scientists. "FitzSimmons, when you guys get the chance, I have some stuff to fill you in on and a few files I was hoping you could look over."

"Of course," Simmons said. "We'll meet you in an hour?"

"Deal," Skye said. "You guys have a fun with your project. I'll see you in a bit."

0-0-0

They'd landed that evening, in a small, quiet town a few miles outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The air was warm and humid as the sun continued its descent across the sky, getting closer to the horizon as they left the Bus at its repair base and drove to the approved hotel. It was nearly empty and Coulson figured Director Fury had something to do with that, but he didn't comment.

Skye had finished decoding the last of the files she'd taken from Hydra, and Coulson was going through Kit's and Audrey's while May looked through the rest of the documents. Bobbi, Trip, and Ward were training, while Coulson had given the youngest three agents the night off to make sure Kit was okay before things got even crazier and the Shield team advanced on Hydra.

It had been Skye's brilliant idea to take Kit swimming and FitzSimmons had followed with minimal protest and complaints.

Skye was hovering near the deep end of the pool with Kit, both of them dripping wet in shorts and t-shirts since, after realizing none of them had a bathing suit, Skye insisted on improvising.

"Hey, Kit, wanna learn how to do a flip into the water?" the older girl asked after determining that the pool was deep enough.

Before Kit could reply, Simmons looked up from her position on a pool chair, science journal perched in her lap. "Oh, Skye. Don't do that. She could get hurt."

"Simmons, you had her using a scalpel earlier today."

Fitz looks up from his book. "True. Very true statement, Skye. Simmons, do you have anything to add?"

Simmons just rolled her eyes. "Fine, have it your way, you two, but be careful, okay? I don't want anyone getting injured."

"Yes, ma'am," Skye said, raising her hand in mock salute and making Kit giggle.

"Don't side with her, Kit. Remember who likes to do science experiments with you all the time," Simmons teased and Kit laughed more, swimming toward the edge of the pool so she was closer Jemma's seat.

"Hey don't forget who lets you stay up past your bedtime and eat cookies when Coulson isn't paying attention," Skye said, winking at Kit and splashing the little girl who was now balanced on the tile lining the pool.

"I love you both _equally,"_ Kit said with a smile, standing up and jumping back into the pool.

"I think you should show Jemma how much you love her with a big, wet hug," Skye suggested when Kit swam over and the agent picked her up.

"Oh, Kit, no. That's okay. I know how much you love me." But Kit was set on her task as she pulled herself out of the pool and ran to Jemma, throwing her arms around the scientist.

"I love you, Jemma," Kit said, looking up at her with sparkling eyes and Simmons melted, giving in and hugging Kit back, breathing in the scent of chlorine and the wide smile on Kit's face.

"I love you too, Kit."

Kit gave Jemma one last squeeze before sprinting away and jumping into the pool, popping up beside Skye. "Will you show me how to flip now?"

Skye smiled. "Of course. Let's go to the deep end."

The older agent explained to Kit how to make sure she was being safe when she flipped before showing her how to get enough momentum in her jump, tuck her knees in, lean forward and successfully flip before hitting the water. It didn't take long for Kit to master the jump.

As Skye pushed off the white tile, hand in hand with Kit for their last jump, Kit pulled it off well but Skye turned too quickly knocking her heal as she crashed into the pool, stifling a curse as pain temporarily ran through her foot. The older girl surfaced next to Kit, putting a smile on her face. "Ready to go inside?"

"Sure. Race you to the stairs!" Kit called and ducked under water, darting through the short length of the pool and climbing up the steps.

Skye followed close behind and joined Kit at the pool chairs, wrapping Kit in a towel before throwing one over herself.

Stubbornness speaking for her, Skye looked at Simmons, deciding to push the scientist a bit. "See, nothing went wrong."

Without looking up from her science paper, Simmons said, "Don't think I didn't see you limp over here."

Skye feigned offense. "I would never," she said dramatically as the scientists stood up, gathering their things to head inside.

"Wait a second and I'll come take a look at it," Jemma said when they entered the hall.

"Not a chance, Jemma," Skye said and theatrically hopped down the hall, over exaggerating every movement, spurred on by Kit's laughter.

Simmons shook her head as she caught eyes with Fitz and entered the hotel room. "You're not fine, Skye."

"Yes, I am," Skye said, heading into the bathroom to change. There was a soft bang and something clattered to the floor.

Kit looked at Jemma with wide eyes as the scientist dried her off.

"Skye?"

A grumpy "I'm fine, nothing's broken" carried from inside the bathroom. Making Fitz snort as Jemma and Kit laughed.

0-0-0

Four hours later and two rooms to the right, Kit and May had fallen asleep next to each other while watching a movie. The little girl was cuddled against May's side, breathing softly and smelling of strawberry shampoo. May's arm draped protectively across Kit, pulling her close, keeping her safe.

Meanwhile, Coulson was sitting at the desk, pouring through Kit's file from Hydra when his eyes latched onto something that made breath catch in his throat, made him freeze, made his heart twist, beat madly, rapidly in his chest; made his gaze shift from the computer screen to Kit to the computer screen again; made tears form in his eyes and made his hand shake; made him bite his cheek; made him want to cry and sing and yell for reasons and feelings he could quite describe. Something that made his heart swell and shatter with love and pain all at once.

He was almost afraid to look again. To double check that he'd read it right. He was afraid it was true and even more afraid it was false.

He looked again.

It read the same:

"Father of Kristen Nathan: Phillip Coulson"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I apologize immensely for my unannounced hiatus. Things got crazy. In the essence of not waiting any longer, here's chapter 17! I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

* * *

"Oh, it's good to be back," Coulson said, taking his third deep breath in the past five minute as he sat in his office chair.

"We were barely gone for twenty-four hours," May pointed out from the seat across his desk, where Kit was snuggled in her lap. "And we've been back for four days."

Coulson made a face at the agent's comment. "You know what, May? I love this plane and I'll continue to love it with or without your judgmental comments."

May rolled her eyes and looked down at Kit, nose tucked in a book as she leaned back against the older woman.

May and Coulson had been talking about Hydra, with May relaying some vague information she'd heard from Maria Hill. Coulson was only half listening. He couldn't keep himself from breaking eye contact with May to sneak glances at Kit.

No one knew what he'd read four nights ago. No one knew that the little girl cuddled against May was his daughter. A tiny human, half him and half Audrey, with light brown hair and sparkly eyes and a button nose. With a brilliant mind and a big heart and…

"Coulson?" May stopped midsentence, pausing to say his name.

He shifted his gaze back to her and blinked.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine," he said too quickly and nearly cringed, settling on a smile instead.

May rose an eyebrow and was about to say something when a short series of knocks rang from the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Bobbi peeked in before entering completely. She smiled at Kit before turning to May and Coulson. "I think Skye's on her way over here. She found something she needs to show you. And," Bobbi continued, addressing Kit now, "I was wondering if you wanted to play video games with me and Trip?"

Kit shuffled closer to May and glanced up at her and Coulson, only turning back to Bobbi when the adults gave her encouraging nods.

"Okay," she said, twisting a finger around the hem of her shirt but finally shared a small smile and slid off May's lap.

Kit took Bobbi's outstretched hand and pressed up against her as they moved into the hallway. They turned a corner and Bobbi stopped abruptly to avoid bumping into Skye as she walked down the hall, eyes trained on her computer, Kit had been following so close behind Bobbi that when the woman stopped, Kit literally ran into her, crashing softly into the back of Bobbi's legs, still holding her hand. They exchanged a few quick words before Skye hurried off to May and Coulson. Kit expected Bobbi to keep walking, but instead, the woman knelt down so she was eyelevel with Kit.

"Sorry," Kit murmured, looking at her polka dotted socks.

Bobbi shook her head and lifted Kit's gently. "Nothing to be sorry about." She sighed and stroked Kit's hair, pulling her into a hug. "What's going on with you, Kitty?"

Kit dodged the question with a shrug, asking instead, "Why's everyone acting so weird?"

"It's complicated… it's…"

"It's because of that place you guys went, isn't it? The mission that got our plane hurt," Kit asked, pulling away slightly from Bobbi to look her in the eyes.

Bobbi nodded.

"And you're looking for the people that killed my mom, right?" Kit asked and her voice faded to a whisper.

Bobbi nodded again.

"Did you find them?" Kit swayed slightly, knotting her fingers together and breathing quietly.

"No," Bobbi said, shaking her head. "No, but we were really close."

"Do you think we'll find them soon?"

"I think we have a pretty good chance, and I think that if you're ever worried about something, you should know that you can talk to any of us."

Kit nodded and turned to move down the hall, waiting for Bobbi to stand. After walking a few steps, Kit spoke softly, "I was scared."

"Why's that?"

" 'Cause everyone was always busy and acting weird and I thought something was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay." Bobbi said and squeezed Kit's hand.

"I know and I'm not scared anymore. Everything's okay," Kit repeated with a smile as she looked up at Bobbi.

0-0-0

"This is not okay." Skye knocked and entered without waiting for a response, talking the second she crossed the threshold. "Not at all. This could be bad. Really bad. Or good, maybe… depending on how we respond."

"Skye. What'd you find? Just tell us," Coulson said, exasperation pulling at the ends of his words. They'd been receiving too much bad news lately. It wasn't really a good time for more.

She placed her laptop on Coulson's desk and angled it so both May and Coulson could see. "I finally got through the Hydra file with the heaviest encryption. It's a plan. More specifically, a plan to attack the Bus. Their mission isn't clearly stated but it involves keeping eyes on Kit, kidnapping her probably, and they're planning to do it tonight. Well, tomorrow morning, technically. 3:00 am, 5/17/15."

The lack of response stretching across the silence caused Skye to look up from the screen facing the two agents. "Well?"

Coulson sighed and ran a hand over his face, glancing at his clock on the wall. "I have a plan; and we have approximately seventeen hours to make it work."

0-0-0

"Turn it up!" Kit giggled from the backseat of the car.

Skye looked at Kit through the rearview mirror and smiled as she raised the volume on the radio of the little black car Coulson had managed to get.

"Aren't you tired, yet?" Skye asked with a grin, watching Kit dance and sing around her car seat.

"Nope," Kit said and popped the 'p'. "Skye, can we play guitar when we get back to the Bus?"

"It'll be late, Kitty. How about tomorrow?"

"Deal," Kit said, smiling at Skye and squirming in her seat.

Skye laughed at Kit's energy, thinking it might have something to do with the ice cream they'd had earlier. They'd been driving since five that evening, after the team had finalized their plan and Skye had done her part, working with Fitz to prep the plane for battle. They had the upper hand, with the knowledge that the attack would occur. Without the advantage of surprise, Hydra was going to have to work a lot harder, and Coulson was ready.

After assisting with the Bus and system computers, Skye had been tasked with taking Kit and driving in large, literal circles. The plan was for Skye to keep Kit away from the danger, but close enough that as soon as the Hydra incident was finished the team could regather quickly and get away before Hydra sent back up.

Skye was beginning to question why Coulson insisted that she leave so early, as she glanced at the clock. It was nearing three in the morning, she had to be getting close to finishing and so did Hydra.

0-0-0

It was so dark on the Bus that Fitz couldn't see the outline of his hand. He nudged Simmons with his elbow. Even without light, he could tell she was looking at him, her body shifting to face his direction.

"What?" she whispered.

"How much longer do you think we have to wait?"

"I don't know, Fitz," Simmons said and he could practically feel her rolling her eyes.

"It shouldn't be too long," Coulson said over their radios. "It's nearly ten past three."

In his pocket, Fitz's phone vibrated softly. He slipped it out, peering at the notification he'd set up from the detection software Skye and he had implemented on the plane. "I've got something," he muttered, moving to the screen.

"Here they are." He pointed to dark, impending figure, and Simmons peered over his shoulder. "Only one plane?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Looks like it. I guess they really were expecting to take us by surprise."

"Let's tell everyone else," Simmons suggested, pulling out her radio and letting the team know that Hydra's plane would be landing in approximately five minutes.

FitzSimmons were positioned in the lab, on duty to monitor Hydra and manage the security system. Coulson and May were paired up in the cockpit, hoping to take out Hydra before the agents had a chance to get on the Bus. Meanwhile, Bobbi, Ward, and Trip had separated, each scattering across the plane, prepared for possible combat.

They waited in tense silence, Fitz trained his eyes on the screen as the plane approached, looming in the darkness. He looked as it ebbed closer to the red tinted circle, indicating that it was in range of the Bus' missile.

Until, finally, they were ten seconds out.

Fitz glanced at Simmons and caught her eye. She nodded, her features illuminated in soft crimson light.

"Seven seconds," Fitz crackled over the intercom and May moved her hand on top of the button to launch the missile.

Coulson looked at May, then pictured Kit safe and far away, with Skye. That's why they were doing this.

In the lab, Fitz took a deep breath. "In range in three… two…"

"One," Coulson finished and May slammed on the button.

Within seconds, the sky was alit in flame, hues of orange and gold piercing the night as thick, gray smoke billowed above the treetops of a nearby forest.

"We got them," Coulson said with a smile, noting, with great delight, that May seemed to have a small smile on her lips, too.

"Don't look so happy, there could be more," May said, suppressing her smirk.

Coulson shrugged. "Maybe. But now there's one less."

"What do we do now?" Trip asked, his voice carrying through the radios.

"We wait. You, Bobbi, and Ward can head to the lab if you want, help FitzSimmons keep watch until we decide it's secure enough to give Skye the okay to bring Kit back."

"Copy that, Sir," Trip said, heading to the lab.

They waited for half an hour. Then an hour. Then two more before the faintest hint of morning stripped a shade of black from the sky.

"We survived the night," Coulson said triumphantly.

May shot him a skeptical look. "It's still dark outside, I wouldn't consider this morning, yet."

"I think we're good."

"I think we are," May admitted.

"I'll contact Skye and then we'll get the hell out of here, as soon as possible" Coulson said, clicking to send Skye the alert.

An hour later, pale light scattered across the sky. The team had regrouped in the living area of the Bus, the younger members of the team, Bobbi and Trip included, were sprawled across the couches, having fallen asleep to the soft lull of conversation. Ward, however, sat upright, staying awake with May and Coulson as they kept watch just in case anything else happened.

The small black car Skye had driven, in what felt like a lifetime ago, crept into view. Coulson broke into a smile and nudged May's shoulder. "See?" he said, "Victory."

May rolled her eyes and shook her head, repeating, "Victory."

Ward breathed an audible sigh of relief and stood up from the couch. "I'll get them."

Within a matter of seconds, he was at the door, pulling it open when Skye practically fell inside. He grabbed her arms, holding her upright and observing, with horror, the blood that had gathered on her head and face, the bruises that were tinting across her skin.

Her breathing was hitched, tears blurring and sliding across her cheeks. Her eyes wouldn't look at his, unfocused as her gaze shifted.

She swallowed heavily. "It was a trap...I think. I—I don't know. They found us. They got Kit, they took her. She's—she's gone."

Ward shook his head and sought out Skye's eyes as she pulled away from him. "No, no. They weren't supposed to take her. That wasn't the plan."

Skye took a deep breath, shoving tears away. She moved a hand to push her hair back, making contact with the source of her bleeding and flinching, eyes squeezed shut. "I know, I know," she muttered, slamming her forehead with the palm of her hand and biting back a yelp. "I screwed up. I screwed up so badly."

Ward suddenly reached out again, taking Skye's arms and squeezing gently until she looked up at him. "Skye, you need to listen to me, this is not your fault. There's something I need to do. Simmons is in the living area; find her, wake her up and have her take a look at you, okay?"

Skye sniffled and made a sound that was almost whimper, her whole body shaking as she nodded softly. When she looked up, Ward was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

Straining against every instinct in his body, Ward forced his gaze back up to meet Coulson's eyes. The young agent's confession was a tsunami; a quick and heavy concentration of destruction as it swelled to fill the room. Trust and goodness drowned in those murky waters.

Ward had been working with Hydra, associated with them the whole damn time; feeding the enemy information and insight; reporting Kit's status, her location; and for the entire time she'd been there, Ward had acted as her friend. Coulson hadn't known. Coulson had let it happen. For what felt like the hundredth time in the past few months, Coulson hadn't done enough. Coulson wasn't enough. His head nearly hung in defeat.

Ward dragged two hands across his face, rubbing his forehead and squeezing his eyes closed tightly. When they opened, moisture congregated at the corners. His voice was soft and shaky with the words that followed. "I didn't know they were going to take her. I… I didn't mean for that to happen. They said they just wanted a quick glance, the scientists wanted proof she was alive. They wanted to do a visual assessment or something. I don't know… I didn't know. I was just trying to buy time. I didn't want to go through with it anymore… I…"

"You sick bastard. She trusted you," Coulson said; breaking, finally, his silence. "Kit trusted you and she loved you and she believed in you. She let you in, and you let her down. So you don't get to cry. You don't get to feel bad or make excuses, because you did that. You did that to her."

Ward wouldn't allow himself to look away. Coulson was only speaking the truth; and Ward, while Ward was wondering why everything he touched broke. Why he managed to burn everything that could have been good and normal and beautiful in his life.

"Now," Coulson began again, his voice laced with danger and steel. He moved from behind his desk and snapped handcuffs onto the agent. "You're going to tell me everything you know about Hydra and Kit, and then I'm putting you in a holding cell for the foreseeable future."

0-0-0

"May, call a meeting with the team in fifteen minutes," Coulson said as he passed her.

She frowned at the sight, brows drawing together as she watched Coulson lead Ward across the room. Her eyes latched on to the silver glint of metal on Ward's wrist as Coulson shoved him through the doorway. They disappeared from view and May pulled a hand through her hair. Coulson had some major explaining to do. She made a move to follow them and ask Coulson what the hell was going on, when Bobbi appeared by her side.

The younger agent rubbed her eyes, squinting slightly in the daylight. "Did Skye and Kit get back, yet?"

"We have a meeting in fifteen minutes," May replied. "Maybe then we'll both get an answer to that question."

"What question?" Trip asked, moving off the couch to join the group.

"Have you seen Skye or Kit?" Bobbi questioned, and Trip shook his head.

"I saw her car pull up," May said. "I'm going to go find them. You two wake up FitzSimmons and make sure the four of you are ready for the meeting."

Ten minutes later, a shaky, unfocused Skye was walking with May to the meeting room. No conversation had taken place. Skye wouldn't talk and May didn't push. As they moved down the hall, May caught sight of Coulson trekking in the same direction, trailing behind them with his eyes trained on the floor and a hand on his face.

May stopped walking. "Skye, can you make it to the meeting room? Fitz and Simmons and the rest of them are already there."

For the first time since she'd found her, Skye's eyes flickered up to meet May's. The young agent nodded softly and May put a hand on Skye's arms, rubbing gently. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Go."

As Skye made her way to the room, May walked to Coulson and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side. "When are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? Why I just found Skye nearly in tears on the floor? Or why I saw you leading Ward away in handcuffs? Or why no one knows where the hell Kit is?"

"They took her, May."

May felt her anger disintegrating at the softness of his voice. She noticed, for the first time that day, how tired he looked. How close _he_ looked to crying.

"What do you mean they took her?" she asked, and this time her voice was instantly quieter.

"Ward is working with Hydra and they took her. They took Kit. She's gone, Melinda."

"Gone as in…?" May drifted off before starting again. "As in, they killed her?" she asked, trying to understand; pleading against the odds, begging for the answer to be anything but 'yes.'

"I don't know." Coulson's voice cracked and oh, tears were slipping from his eyes. "I don't know where she is... I don't know if she's breathing or if she's hurt or if she's alone. I know that she's probably scared and I just… I…"

May swallowed thickly and pulled him into a rare hug. He collapsed into the embrace, hanging on. Maybe it was the feeling of Coulson's shoulders shaking, or the ache in his voice when he'd told her about Kit, or the circumstances of the situation as a whole, but somewhere between those moments, tears slipped from May, just barely wetting Coulson's suit. And for once, May wasn't embarrassed to cry, because this was Kit they were talking about. This was her Kit, their Kit, everyone's Kit and everyone's sunshine. This was Kit who still laughed and hoped despite everything.

Kit who woke them with smiles in the morning and sang through the day. Kit who collected goodnight kisses and spread love like it didn't cost her a thing, like it never hurt. Kit who drew them pictures and was the best cure for post-mission guilt or challenges. This was little Kit who'd snuck into their hearts from the very first day, and if anything or anyone was going to pull tears from May it was this kid. It was Kit who deserved every damn tear in the world for everything she'd gone through and everything that'd let her down.

May pulled away from the hug, taking a step back and quickly wiping her eyes. "We're gonna go and we're gonna fight and we are going to put fear in the eyes of every Hydra agent that's ever lived, until we get answers and until we get Kit back, because she's not dead. She's not."

"How do you know?"

"They would have done it already if that's what they wanted. They had enough chances with Ward here. She's alive, Phil. She's alive and we're going to bring her home."

Coulson nodded and glanced at the ground, before looking up and breaking the brief gap of silence, "May?"

She looked over at him, brows raised expectantly. "I have one more thing to tell you."

She nodded, urging him to continue.

"Kit… she's my… Kit's my daughter," he said with a release of breath, a sigh, and something reminiscent of a smile. Despite everything, it felt good to vocalize his revelation.

A ghost of a smirk flickered across May's lips as she reached out and squeezed his shoulder, turning toward the meeting room. "I've heard stranger things."

0-0-0

Skye laid under Kit's blanket that night, in a bunk that seemed too empty and a plane that seemed too quiet, living a life that felt too sad. She buried her face into the fabric and closed her eyes, trying, with everything in her power, to image Kit was still there, snuggled safely beside her, or maybe in the lab with FitzSimmons or the gym with Bobbi and Trip learning who-knows-what those two liked to teach her. But Kit wasn't in the room or the plane. She was somewhere else. Somewhere they couldn't reach her.

Every time she closed her eyes, the scene replayed in her head: screeching metal, Hydra men rushing toward her and Kit, then nothing. Just dark for a while, until she'd eased her eyes open and was hit with the realization that Kit wasn't there.

Then, there was the meeting and all the flood of information they'd received. Ward was Hydra. Kit was Coulson's daughter. Kit was missing. They didn't have any leads.

Skye glared at her laptop, stationed across the room on the floor. She'd spent the last half of the day attempting to hack and analyze and code some answers out of the internet and Hydra's database, but she'd come up with nothing.

"We're going to find you, Kit Kat. Goodnight wherever you are. I promise, we're going to bring you home," Skye whispered, looking up at her ceiling through blurry, teary eyes and hoping, that maybe Kit could hear her, or feel them, all thinking about her; hoping, that Kit knew she wasn't in this alone.

Perhaps it worked, because when Kit woke up, miles and miles away, the first thought on her mind was _home,_ and miraculously, it wasn't her old house in Portland that she pictured. It was the Bus and all the people on it. She blinked heavily and closed her eyes again, the light hurt. Her head felt fuzzy and when she moved to touch it, her wrist collided with cold metal.

The sensation shocked her eyes back open. She couldn't move. The walls of the room were metal, just like the examination table she was strapped to. At first glance, it almost – _almost—_ looked like FitzSimmons' lab on the Bus, but this lab was too sterile, too empty. There were no pictures or complex organization systems or experiments lining the cabinets. Instead, it was all metal and machines.

Tears burned in her eyes as footsteps drew closer and she made out the blur of Hydra's symbol as the door cracked open.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** I'm so, so, so sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you like it!

* * *

Their break came twelve days later, somewhere around three in the morning when Skye was supposed to be sleeping, but instead had set up camp in the lab beside FitzSimmons. Four cups of coffee had her buzzing around the scientists, filling the emptiness of the room with light talk as the three of them worked.

Skye spun in her chair and turned to the lab entrance, picturing all the times she'd seen Kit walk through those doors… shy at first, then so full of love and life and curiosity.

"What do you think she's doing right now?" Skye asked, moving so she was facing Fitz and Jemma.

Neither of them had to guess whom Skye was talking about.

"I like to think that they've mostly left her alone, that she's still okay," Jemma said.

"Maybe she's escaped, and she's just trying to get back here," Fitz added

Skye nodded and the conversation lapsed into a stretch of silence, each agent suddenly lost in thought. A few minutes passed before Skye stood up. "I'm going to go grab some more coffee. You two want anything?"

"No, thank you," Simmons said with a polite smile and Fitz nodded in agreement. "Thanks though."

"No problem. Be right back," Skye responded. As she made her way to the door, her laptop produced a series of beeps and a message emerged on the screen.

She spun around. "Oh my god," she whispered, rushing back to her computer and pushing her empty cup of coffee aside. "Oh my god," she said louder, scrolling through the data that had appeared on her screen.

She turned to face the scientists, who were looking inquisitively at her. "It worked. Oh my god, you guys, it worked."

A smile broke across her face and she ran a hand through her hair. "The device we made last week, based on Audrey's implant… it worked. It picked up a similar signal. Four signals to be exact."

Simmons stood up. "Which matches the number of people Hydra's still experimenting on…"

"And, judging by the reports we read, it appears that Hydra is running the whole experiment out of one base, meaning…"

"I think we just found Kit," Skye said, and she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips or the tears springing in her eyes. "Let's go! Let's go tell Coulson and May."

FitzSimmons smiled at Skye's enthusiasm, and felt it bubbling inside them, too, as they bounded up the stairs after her. The trio's laughter and loud footsteps rang through the typically silent, early-morning hall.

 **5.29.2015 - HYDRA RESEARCH FACILITY 21, LABORATORY 3B – 4:13 AM**

Kit couldn't sleep. She hadn't really slept at all, ever since the bad men took her. So far, they'd mostly ran tests; poked and prodded so she felt sick all the time and barely gave her food or time to sleep—waking her up every few hours with their cold, harsh gloved hands.

She'd heard their whispers, their talks and knew that soon they were going to do something really bad. Something that involved her and shots and drugs and loud noises.

She'd heard a tall man with pasty skin and a cruel, twisted smile talk about "finishing the transformation." She'd seen them try it before; it always included screaming and begging and then a silence that stretched for hours until the scientists entered the chamber and left with a large, dark bag. Kit never saw the first person come out.

Currently, she was curled in the corner of her cell, with her knees tucked towards her chest. She shivered and tried to press into herself further, wishing she could just disappear and be anywhere but there.

She wanted her mom, Coulson, May, Skye, Jemma, Fitz, Ward, Bobbi and Trip.

At first, she'd cried out for them in her sleep, but then men in Hydra uniforms would kick her awake and tell her that they wore all dead. That they'd killed everyone she'd loved.

He told her so many times, she'd started to believe it.

Her breath was ragged and she raised her hand to her mom's necklace, curling her skinny, tingling fingers around the ring and holding on like it was the only thing she had left.

 **5.29.2015 - THE BUS – 10:27 PM**

"You're sure we're ready to do this?" Bobbi asked, seven hours later.

Coulson nodded. "We got close enough that Skye was able to hack into the video feed. We have eyes on the four 'test subjects' and we've got a decent indication of where Kit is being held. We don't have any more time to waste."

"Okay," Bobbi said with a nod.

"All right, everyone. Listen up," Coulson said, drawing the attention of his team, gathered on the ramp. "We have two teams going in. The first, will be led by Trip." Coulson moved to face him. "You'll be accompanied by other Shield agents coming from the Hub. You're mission is to free the four people Hydra has been experimenting on. Simmons, you'll be joining them. We don't know what Hydra has been doing to these people, we need someone there who has an understanding of the experiment. Trip, once you reach the subjects, your team will transport them out to a Shield plane that will be waiting to carry them back to a secure Shield base. After that, you and Simmons need to return to the Bus."

Trip and Jemma nodded before Coulson continued. "Our second team includes myself, May, and Bobbi. Our job is to get Kit. Fitz and Skye, I need you two on the Bus, monitoring Hydra's security and guiding us through the facility. After much deliberation between myself and Agent May, we have determined that Ward will be assisting you."

"Oh hell no," Skye began, shaking her head. "That's ridiculous. You can't be serious."

"Skye," Coulson began, shooting her a look that told her to drop the subject. "I don't like it any more than you do, but it's not up for discussion. We need you on the computers and we need Ward's knowledge of the facility."

"Fine," Skye conceded. "But if Ward pisses me off and I shoot him, it's not my fault."

"I'll be sure to remove all guns from your reach then," Coulson said, smirking at Skye and receiving an eye roll in return.

His demeanor turned serious against as he faced the rest of the team, the gravity of the situation re-accumulating its weight. "All right, then, go suit up and we'll meet in our teams to go over specifics. We have one hour before we're in that building."

 **5.30.2015 - HYDRA RESEARCH FACILITY 21, CORRIDOR 3B – 2:12 AM**

The facility had gone dark, after Skye and Fitz had managed to tamper with the electrical system. Bobbi stole a glance at her watch. She, Coulson, and May had been creeping through the halls for the past four hours, taking out Hydra agents as they moved to the last fortified area of the base.

Through the radios she had listened an hour ago, as Trip and his team had located the hostages—or "test subjects" as Hydra called them – and taken them to the SHIELD plane waiting for evac.

Now there was only one mission left: Bring Kit home.

The words had been running through Bobbi's head, May and Coulson, too, as they shuffled through the halls, triggers tugging and guns firing.

A shot rang through the air and the silence that followed caused Coulson to pause. No footsteps or fires were reverberating through the area, only May's voice, soft as she nudged his shoulder and tilted her head toward the sign plastered on the wall.

"This is it," she said and both he and Bobbi followed May's gaze up to the sign on the wall. Laboratory 3B.

Skye crackled in through their intercoms. "Based on thermal imaging and the surveillance feed, you've got six people… Wait, no! Seven… you've got seven people in there, I think I see Kit. You can definitely take them, I'm willing to bet _at least_ three of them are scientists and one of them's Kit."

Through the door, Coulson could hear voices. "The manifestation is concluding," someone spoke.

"The facility has been compromised! We don't have time to waste, expedite the process using the concentrated chemicals before Shield can stop us."

May rolled her eyes.

"I've got the door unlocked for you guys," Skye said. "Their system sucks now that Fitz and I have messed with it."

"Got it. Thanks, Skye. On three," Coulson began, making eye contact with Bobbi and May. "One, two, three…"

They flooded the room, weapons drawn. Under the dull glow of emergency lights, the scientists looked up. Bobbi took out the two guards at the door with her batons, as May and Coulson headed toward the scientists located at the control center.

"Put them all in! Now!" the head researcher yelled.

"Sir, it could kill her."

"Do it!" he yelled and the younger Hydra agent released a concentrated series of chemicals into the glass research room to the right.

"Kit…" Coulson said, not thinking of anything else as he rushed into the chamber, shoving his way through the double doors, leaving May to render the weaponless scientists unconscious, snapping cuffs on them and leaving the pair for the Shield unit that would show up later to canvas the facility.

"Coulson, the chemicals could kill you," Bobbi called.

He barely heard her, couldn't bring himself to care, as he shot the two final Hydra scientists and squinted through the gas, suddenly able to hear Kit's voice, screaming for help.

A sharp pain shot through his leg and he looked down. The last scientist had injected him with a toxin before she collapsed completely and her breathing ceased.

Dragging himself through the weight spreading through his limbs and the fog in his head, Coulson followed Kit's voice to an examination table, fumbling with shaking hands until he freed her from metal restraints.

"Coulson!" she cried, sobbing as she weakly launched herself around Coulson. "They said you were dead," she wheezed. "They said you were all dead."

Coulson carried her out of the chamber, brushing tears off her cheeks. "We're not dead. We're okay. We're all o—" he collapsed onto the ground, eyes rolling back into his head as Kit fell with him.

She scrambled over, kneeling above him, screaming tearfully. "No, no… you can't go. You can't die. You're all I have left. You can't leave me alone." It felt like a weight was crushing her chest.

Bobbi and May turned from the unconscious Hydra agents, and rushed over. May tried to pull Kit off Coulson, prying the girl's fingers from his shirt. "We have to go, Kit. Simmons can help both of you."

Kit hit May, shoving her away with weak fists. "No, I'm not letting go. He's getting better, look. He has to get better."

Coulson's eyes shot open, sputtering air and breathing as he regained consciousness. Kit sunk to the floor, tucking her knees to her chest, shaking as she rocked.

May and Bobbi looked down at Coulson, shocked as his breathing steadied. May offered a hand, pulling Coulson to his feet.

Bobbi took a deep breath, tearing her gaze from Coulson and May, as an abnormal sound pulled her attention. Kit knelt on the floor, doubled over, knees pressed even closer against her body as the tempo of her breath deteriorated, growing erratic and shallow. Her face was colored by a pale hue. Bobbi stooped so she was level with Kit, seeking out the little girl's eyes.

"Hey, Kit. Kitty Cat, look at me, okay? Focus on me." She waited until Kit's gaze locked onto hers, before continuing. "You don't look too great, how are you feeling?"

Kit squeezed her eyes shut, temporarily ignoring the question and wobbling as Bobbi helped her up. She leaned into Bobbi's side against the fabric of her specialist suit, and wished the material were softer. The little girl sobbed, mumbling, "Doesn't matter. Is Coulson going to be okay?"

Bobbi glanced over to where May was standing with him. "Yeah, I think he is. You saved him, little Kitty."

Kit just nodded, eyes heavy, mouth curved into a pout, pain present in her stance. Bobbi reached out to wipe a tear off Kit's cheeks, upon contact Bobbi paused, taken aback by the icy, clammy touch of the girl's skin. She looks over at May and Coulson. "Guys, we need to get going. Kit's temperature is dropping, I have no idea what crap they gave her but I think they might have overdosed her with all the chemicals in there."

The agent swept Kit up and held her tightly, allowing, finally, a break in her mission demeanor. Kit had been gone for nearly two weeks, missing for days as her absence bore a hole in the team. Now, suddenly, she was back, situated in Bobbi's arms and it was all happening so quickly that Bobbi wanted to stop everything and just spend a moment holding Kit close.

The girl let out a soft whimper and Bobbi snapped back into the present. She smoothed Kit's hair, whispering softly to the girl as the pair joined May and Coulson by the door

"Can I take her?" Coulson asked, already reaching out for Kit.

May shook her head. "You're in no shape right now, Phil. We need to get out. That's the main priority and you're in a weakened state."

With a sigh of defeat, Coulson nodded. He was already recovering well, but Kit seemed to be getting worse with each passing second. She needed medical attention as soon as possible.

As they crept into the hall, Bobbi readjusted Kit on her hip, asking quietly, "How do you feel?"

Kit just pushed her face against Bobbi's neck, appreciating the warmth, and muttered, "Bad."

"Do you feel sick?" Bobbi asked and Kit nodded, slumping against the agent with a sigh, murmuring, "Tummy hurts."

Bobbi rubbed Kit's back with her free hand. They made a sharp turn around a corner when Kit's stomach heaved. She vomited and started shaking, her small body quivering against Bobbi's chest. "Sorry, I'm s-sorry," Kit sobbed.

Bobbi turned to Kit, distracted by the sound of footsteps behind them. "Hey, it's no big deal, okay? No need to cry." She looked up and took a quick shot at a guard coming from the corridor they'd just vacated. "We're almost out of here and then Simmons is going to make you all better." Even as the words left Bobbi's mouth she didn't know how much she believed them, Kit was fading fast, her breath becoming raged, the hue of her skin dulling even more.

"Hurts," she breathed against Bobbi's neck, moaning softly

"I know, I know. It'll be okay soon," Bobbi said, as she stroked Kit's hair. Kit nodded slowly, before losing consciousness and collapsing against the agent. Bobbi frantically looked up at May as she helped Coulson through the final stretch to their evac point. The blonde looked back to Kit's limp body, calling to the other two agents as concern rose in her stomach. "Shit. We need to move faster, guys. We're losing Kit."


End file.
